President Trump’s Dec. 2 Speech Detailing ‘Tremendous’ Voter Fraud

 

PRESIDENT TRUMP: This may be the most important speech I’ve ever made. I want to provide an update on our ongoing efforts to expose the tremendous voter fraud and irregularities which took place during the ridiculously long November 3rd elections.

We used to have what was called, election day. Now we have election days, weeks, and months, and lots of bad things happened during this ridiculous period of time, especially when you have to prove almost nothing to exercise our greatest privilege, the right to vote. As President, I have no higher duty to defend the laws and the Constitution of the United States. That is why I am determined to protect our election system, which is now under coordinated assault and siege.

For months, leading up to the Presidential election, we were warned that we should not declare a premature victory. We were told repeatedly that it would take weeks if not, months, to determine the winner, to count the absentee ballots and to verify the results.

My opponent was told to stay away from the election, don’t campaign. “We don’t need you. We’ve got it. This election is done.” In fact, they were acting like they already knew what the outcome was going to be. They had it covered and perhaps they did, very sadly for our country. It was all very, very strange. Within days after the election, we witnessed an orchestrated effort to anoint the winner even while many key states were still being counted.

The constitutional process must be allowed to continue. We’re going to defend the honesty of the vote by ensuring that every legal ballot is counted and that no illegal ballot is counted. This is not just about honoring the votes of 74 million Americans who voted for me, it’s about ensuring that Americans can have faith in this election and in all future elections.

Today I will detail some of the shocking irregularities, abuses and fraud that had been revealed in recent weeks but before laying out just a small portion of the evidence we have uncovered, and we have so much evidence, I want to explain the corrupt mail-in balloting scheme that Democrats systematically put into place that allowed voting to be altered, especially in swing states, which they had to win. They just didn’t know that it was going to be that tough, because we were leading in every swing state by so much, far greater than they ever thought possible.

While it has long been understood that the Democrat political machine engages in voter fraud from Detroit to Philadelphia, to Milwaukee, Atlanta, so many other places. What changed this year was the Democrat party’s relentless push to print and mail out tens of millions of ballots sent to unknown recipients with virtually no safeguards of any kind.

This allowed fraud and abuse to occur in a scale never seen before. Using the pandemic as a pretext, Democrat politicians and judges drastically changed election procedures just months, and in some cases, weeks before the election on the 3rd of November.

Very rarely were legislatures involved and constitutionally, they had to be involved, but very, very rarely, and you’ll see that as we continue to file our suits, it’s constitutionally, absolutely incorrect what took place, even from a legal standpoint.

Many states, such as Nevada and California sent millions of live ballots to every person on their voter rolls whether those individuals had requested ballots or not, whether they were dead or alive, they got ballots. Other states such as Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin, instituted universal absentee balloting right in the middle of an election year, sending absentee ballot requests forms to all voters on all rolls. It didn’t matter who they were.

This colossal expansion of mail-in voting opened the flood gates to massive fraud. It’s a widely known fact that the voting rolls are packed with people who are not lawfully eligible to vote, including those who are deceased, have moved out of their state, and even our non-citizens of our country.

Beyond this, the records are riddled with errors, wrong addresses, duplicate entries, and many other issues. This is not disputed. It has never been disputed. Dozens of counties in the key swing states have more registered voters on the rolls than they have voting age citizens, including 67 counties in Michigan. All of this is evidence.

In Wisconsin, the state’s Board of Elections could not confirm the residency of more than 100,000 people, but repeatedly refused to remove those names from its voter rolls before the election. They knew why, nobody else did. I knew why. They were illegal voters.

It is a travesty that in the year 2020, we do not have any means of verifying the eligibility of those who cast ballots in an election and such an important election it is, or determining who they are, whether they live in the state or whether they’re even American citizens. We have no idea.

We have an in all swing states major infractions or outright fraud, which is far more in numbers or votes then we need to overturn the results of a state. In other words, in Wisconsin, as an example, where we were way up on election night, they ultimately had us miraculously losing by 20,000 votes.

I can show you right here, that Wisconsin, we’re leading by a lot and then at 3:42 in the morning, there was this, it was a massive dump of votes, mostly Biden, almost all Biden. To this day, everyone’s trying to figure out: “Where did it come from?” But I went from leading by a lot to losing by a little and that’s right here. That’s at 3:42 in the morning, that’s Wisconsin, a terrible thing, terrible, terrible thing.

But we will have far more, many times more than the 20,000 votes needed to overturn the state. If we are right about the fraud, Joe Biden can’t be president.

We’re talking about hundreds of thousands of votes. We’re talking about numbers like nobody has ever seen before. Just as an example, in certain states, we’ll be down by, let’s say, 7,000 votes, but we’ll find later on 20,000, 50,000, 100,00, 200,000 discrepancies or fraudulent votes, and that includes votes that went through when they were not allowed to be seen by Republican poll watchers, because the poll watchers were locked out of the building.

Or people that innocently came to vote on November 3rd, who were all excited about their vote, they were happy. They were proud to be citizens of the United States of America, and they went up and they said: “I’d like to vote.” They were told that they can’t vote. “I’m sorry,” they were told. “I’m sorry. You’ve already voted by mail-in ballot. Congratulations. We received a ballot, so you can no longer vote.”

They didn’t know what to do. They had no one to complain to, most just left and said, “That’s strange.” But many people complained and complained vehemently, and in a lot of cases, they filled out a provisional ballot, which was almost never used, but in virtually every case was a vote for Trump. In other words, they went in to vote and they were told that they voted and they didn’t vote. They left and they felt horror and they lost respect for our system.

This happened tens of thousands of times all over the country. That’s how desperate the Democrats were. They would fill out ballots of people not even knowing if these people were going to show up. When they did show up, they said: “Sorry, you’ve already voted.”

On top of everything else, we have a company that’s very suspect. It’s name is Dominion, with the turn of a dial or the change of a chip, you could press a button for Trump and the vote goes to Biden. What kind of a system is this? We have to go to paper, maybe it takes longer. But the only secure system is paper. Not these systems that nobody understands, including in many cases, the people that run them. Although, unfortunately, I think they understand them far too well.

In one Michigan County, as an example, that used Dominion systems, they found that nearly 6,000 votes had been wrongly switched from Trump to Biden, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. This is what we caught. How many didn’t we catch? Are there 100s of other examples throughout the country? Are there 1000s? We just got lucky and they called it a glitch, but we found numerous glitches that evening. 96% of the company’s political donations went to Democrats, not surprisingly.

Frankly, when you look at who’s running the company, who’s in charge, who owns it, which we don’t know, where are the votes counted? Which we think are counted in foreign countries, not in the United States, Dominion is a disaster.

Election authorities in Texas have repeatedly blocked the deployment of Dominion systems due to concerns about security vulnerabilities and the potential for errors and outright fraud. Every district that uses Dominion systems must be carefully monitored and carefully investigated, but not only for the future.

Right now, we’re worried about the present, and what went on with an election that we won without question. Under my lead, the Republicans won almost every state house in the United States, which they weren’t expected to do. We went up to 16 seats in the house. The numbers are still being tabulated, because there are nine seats that nobody really knows. They don’t know. Two weeks later, it’s still under consideration, because it’s a mess. Republicans were supposed to lose many seats, and instead they won those seats in the house, and a very important election that’s coming up will determine whether, or not we hold the Senate.

David Perdue and Kelly Leffler are two tremendous people. Unfortunately, in Georgia, they’re using the same horrible Dominion system, and it’s already been out that, think of it, hundreds of thousands of absentee ballots have been requested. You check it out who’s requesting those ballots. The difference is, it’s one state, and we will have our eyes on it like nobody’s ever watched anything before, because we have to win those two Senate seats.

The tremendous success we had in the House of Representatives, and the tremendous success we’ve had so far in the Senate, unexpected success all over the country, and right here in Washington.

It is statistically impossible that the person, me, that led the charge lost. The greatest pollsters, the real pollsters, not the ones that had us down 17 points in Wisconsin when we actually won, or the ones that had us down four or five points in Florida, and we won by many points, or had us even, and down in Texas, and we won by a lot, not those pollsters, but real pollsters. Pollsters that are fair, and honest said: “We can’t understand a thing like this. It’s never happened before. You led the country to victory, and you were the only one that was lost. It’s not possible.”

The speaker of the house of a certain state said: “Sir, I expected to lose my seat, and instead, because of you, and because of that incredible charge, and all of those rallies, we had a tremendous victory, and everybody knows it. You are much more popular than me, sir, except I got many more votes than you did, and it’s impossible that that happened. There is something wrong.”

I’ll tell you what’s wrong, voter fraud. Here’s an example. This is Michigan. At 6:31 in the morning, a vote dump of 149,772 votes came in unexpectedly. We were winning by a lot. That batch was received in horror.

Nobody knows anything about it. By the way, there’s your line. This is one of many. Here’s what is normal, and all of a sudden, look at that. This is normal, normal. Look even here, normal, and then boom, all of a sudden, I go from winning by a lot to losing a tight race.

It’s corrupt. Detroit is corrupt. I have a lot of friends in Detroit. They know it, but Detroit is totally corrupt. Look at this, look at this. That’s at 6:31 in the morning, unexpectedly came in.

In the recent recount in Georgia, which means nothing because they don’t want to check signatures, and if you’re not going to check signatures in Georgia, it doesn’t work, but we have a secretary of state, and a governor who made it very difficult to check signatures.

Why? You’ll have to ask them, but without a signature match, or a check, it doesn’t matter. They found thousands and thousands of votes that were out of whack, all against me. This was during a recount that I didn’t even think mattered. They found many thousands of votes, and that recount didn’t matter.

The one that matters is the one that’s going on now, that because of the fact it’s so close, they had to by law give another recount, but the recount has to be a recount where they check the signatures. Otherwise, they’re just checking the same dishonest thing. It won’t matter.

In this case, the signatures on envelopes are the only thing that is relevant. We will compare the signature on the envelope to the signatures from past elections, and we will find that many thousands of people signed these ballots illegally. The Democrats had this election rigged right from the beginning. They used the pandemic, sometimes referred to as the China virus, where it originated as an excuse to mail out tens of millions of ballots, which ultimately led to a big part of the fraud, a fraud that the whole world is watching, and there is no one happier right now than China.

Many people received two, three and four ballots. They were sent to dead people by the thousands. In fact, dead people, and we have many examples filled out ballots, made applications, and then, voted, which is even worse. In other words, dead people went through a process. Some have been dead for 25 years.

Millions of votes were cast illegally in the swing states alone, and if that’s the case, the results of the individual swing states must be overturned, and overturned immediately. Some people say that’s too far out, that’s too harsh. Well, does that mean we take a precedent, and we’ve just elected a president where the votes were fraudulent?

No, it means you have to turn over the election, and everybody knows without going much further, and they’ve seen the evidence, but they don’t want to talk about it what a disaster this election was, a total catastrophe, but we’re going to show it, and hopefully, the courts in particular, the Supreme Court of the United States will see it, and respectfully, hopefully, they will do what’s right for our country, because our country can not live with this kind of an election.

We could say, let’s go on to the next one, but no, we have to look also at our past. We can’t let this happen.

Maybe you’ll have a revote, but I don’t think that’s appropriate. When those votes are corrupt, when they’re irregular, when they get caught, they’re terminated, and I very easily win.

In all states, I very easily win, the swing states, just like I won them at 10 o’clock in the evening, the evening of the election. We’re not looking to show you 25 faulty or fraudulent votes, which don’t mean anything, because it doesn’t overturn the state, or a fifty, or a hundred. We’re showing you hundreds of thousands far more than we need, far more than the margin, far more than the law requires. We can show many times what is necessary to win the state.

The media knows this, but they don’t want to report it. In fact, they outright refuse to even cover it, because they know the result if they do. Even what I’m saying now will be demeaned and disparaged, but that’s okay. I just keep on going forward, because I’m representing 74 million people, and in fact, I’m also representing all of the people that didn’t vote for me.

The mail-in voting scam is the latest part of their four year effort to overturn the results of the 2016 election, and it’s been like living in hell. Our opponents have proven many times again and again, that they will say, and do anything to get back into power.

The corrupt forces who are registering dead voters and stuffing ballot boxes are the same people who have perpetrated one phony and fraudulent hoax after another. You’ve been watching it now for four years. These entrenched interests oppose our movement, because we put America first. They don’t put America first, and we’re returning power to you the American people.

They don’t want America first, they only want power for themselves. They want to make money, that’s why they don’t want me as your president. I’ve been investigated from soon after I announced I was running for president. When I immediately went to number one in the Republican primary polls, the investigations never stopped. They went on for four years, and I won them all, I beat them all. Russia, Russia, Russia, the impeachment hoax, and so much more.

Robert Mueller spent $48 million of taxpayer money investigating me for two and a half years, issued over 2,800 subpoenas, executed nearly 500 search warrants, issued 230 orders for communications records, and conducted 500 witness interviews, all looking to take me down. There was no collusion in the end, none whatsoever.

Senator Marco Rubio, the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee stated: “The committee found no evidence that then-candidate Donald Trump, or his campaign colluded with the Russian government.” And, I thank Senator Rubio for that statement.

Now, I hear that these same people that failed to get me in Washington have sent every piece of information to New York, so that they can try to get me there. It’s all been gone over, over and over again. For $48 million you go through tax returns, you go through everything. The New York attorney general, who recently ran for office campaigned without knowing me stating: “We will join with law enforcement and other attorneys general across this nation in removing this president from office.” I never met her. “It’s important that everybody understands”, she said, “that the days of Donald Trump are coming to an end.” And all it’s been is a big investigation in Washington and New York and any place else that can investigate because that’s what they want to do.

They want to take not me, but us down. Then we can never let them do that. Everything has been looked at. A friend of mine, who’s very smart, said: “You’ve probably seen more than anybody else. You’ve probably been investigated more than anybody else. And for you to come out with a clean bill of health makes you probably the cleanest person in this country.”

Some people in this administration, but fortunately not all have been beaten down and disparaged. They just disappeared. Nobody knows what happened to them. Why aren’t they active? Why aren’t they involved? There’s so much to be involved in. The corruption is so rampant. They just couldn’t take it anymore. They were threatened by Democrats with impeachment and horrible things were said about them. And they’re good people.

Even recently, the head of the GSA was hounded and harassed as she reported, like she has never been before. What can I say? We caught Comey cold, we caught McCabe cold. We caught them all. We’re still waiting for a report from a man named Durham, who I have never spoken to, and I have never met.

They can go after me before the election as much as they want, but unfortunately Mr. Durham didn’t want to go after these people, or have anything to do with going after them before the election. So who knows if he is ever going to even do a report.

But if you look at the lies, and the leaks, and the illegal acts of behavior done by so many people, and their desire to hurt the president of the United States, something should happen.

The hardest thing I have to do is explain why nothing is happening with all of these people that got caught spying on my campaign. It’s never happened before and it should never happen again to a president of the United States. All you have to do is watch the hearings and see for yourself. The evidence is overwhelming.

The fraud that we’ve collected in recent weeks is overwhelming, having to do with our election. Everyone is saying: ” Wow, the evidence is overwhelming,” when they get to see it. But really it’s too late to change the course of an election. It’s too late to change the outcome.

In fact, there is still plenty of time to certify the correct winner of the election and that’s what we’re fighting to do. But no matter when it happens, when they see fraud, when they see false votes and when those votes number far more than is necessary, you can’t let another person steal that election from you.

All over the country, people are together in holding up signs, “Stop the steal.” To understand how we will challenge this fraud, it is important to know the problems with mail-in balloting. Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada, Georgia, Arizona, and most other states allowed anyone to get an absentee ballot and cast their vote without showing any ID. The voting took place entirely on the honor system, no identification of any kind was required.

Most Americans would also be shocked to learn that no state in the country verifies United States citizenship as a condition for voting in federal elections. This is a national disgrace. No other advanced country conducts elections this way.

Many European countries have instituted major restrictions on mail-in voting, specifically, because they recognize the nearly unlimited potential for fraud. Out of 42 European nations, all but two prohibit absentee ballots entirely for people who reside inside the country, or else they require those who need absentee ballots to show a very, very powerful ID.

Throughout the Democrat effort to dramatically expand mail-in voting, the Democrat party leaders were also, feverishly working to block measures, designed to protect against fraud, such as signature verification, residency verification, or voter ID. And citizenship confirmation was almost unthought of that we should ask for it.

Can you believe this? These are not the actions of people who want fair elections. These are the actions of people who want to steal elections, who are willing to create fraud. The only conceivable reason why you would block common sense measures to verify legal eligibility for voting, is you are trying to encourage, enable, solicit, or carry out fraud.

It is important for Americans to understand that these destructive changes to our election laws were not a necessary response to the pandemic. The pandemic simply gave the Democrats an excuse to do what they have been trying to do for many, many years.

In fact, the very first bill that house Democrats introduced when Nancy Pelosi became speaker, was it attempt to mandate universal mail-in voting and eliminate measures such as voter ID, which is so necessary. Dramatically eroding the integrity of our elections was the Democrats number one priority for a simple reason, they wanted to steal the 2020 presidential election. All of the Democrat efforts to expand mail-in balloting laid the groundwork for the systematic and pervasive fraud that occurred in this election.

In Pennsylvania, large amounts of mail-in and absentee ballots were processed illegally. And in secret, in Philadelphia, in Allegheny counties, without our observers present. They were not allowed to be present. In fact, they weren’t even allowed in the same room. They were thrown out of the building and they looked from outside in, but they had no way of even seeing, because there were no windows. And the windows that were there were boarded up. Democrats even went to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to block observers from receiving access.

There is only one possible reason that the corrupt Democrat political machine would oppose transparency during the vote counting. It’s because they know they are hiding illegal activity. It’s very simple.

This is an egregious, inexcusable. And irreversible harm that stains the entire election, yet this unprecedented practice of excluding our observers, our vote watchers, as some people call them, occurred in Democrat run cities and key states all across the nation. Here are just some of the additional facts that we’ve uncovered.

Many voters all across Pennsylvania received two ballots in the mail, and many others received mail-in ballots for which they never applied. So many get ballots, they didn’t even know what they were for. And again, so many received more than one ballot. In some cases, more than two ballots. And they happened to be, for the most part, Democrats.

In Fayette County, Pennsylvania, multiple voters received ballots that were already filled out. They didn’t know what happened. In Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, a poll watcher, overheard unregistered voters being told to return later to try to vote under a different name. Tens of thousands of voters across Pennsylvania were treated differently based on whether they were Republicans, or Democrats.

Voters who submitted floored ballots in some Democrat precincts were notified and asked to fix their ballots, while Republican precincts, and in particular Republican voters, were not so notified which plainly violates the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution. ”If you are a Democrat, we’re going to fix up your ballot. make sure it’s perfect. If you are Republican, don’t even talk about it.”

In Michigan, a career employee of the city of Detroit, with the city workers, coaching voters to vote straight Democrat, while accompanying them to watch who they were voting for, violating the law and the sanctity of the secret ballot. You can’t do that. The same workers say she was instructed not to ask for any ID and not to attempt to validate any signatures. She was also told to illegally backdate ballots, many, many ballots, received after the deadline. This is something that is so unconstitutional and she estimates that thousands and thousands of ballots were improperly backdated by her and many others.

Other witnesses in Detroit also saw our election officials counting batches of the same ballots many times, as well as illegally duplicating ballots. One observer testified to seeing boxes and boxes of ballots, all bearing the same signature. Another observer in Detroit gave sworn testimony that he saw countless and valid ballots that did not belong to properly registered voters and then witnessed election workers in Wayne County entering fake birth dates into the system, in order to illegally count them.

Witnesses of science wore an affidavit, so in other words, you go to jail if you lie, testifying that after election officials announced the last absentee votes had been received, a batch of tens of thousands of ballots arrived, many without envelopes, all voting for Democrats.

In Wisconsin, a record number of voters were categorized as indefinitely confined. A status reserved for severely disabled individuals, also for the elderly that allow them to vote without showing ID. Last year, approximately 70,000 people claimed this status statewide. This year, the number miraculously was nearly 250,000 voters, after election officials in Milwaukee and Dane County, a couple of the most corrupt political places in our country, urged citizens to improperly register under this status. And register they did in levels that don’t exist. In Wisconsin, there are approximately 70,000 absentee ballots that do not have matching ballot applications as required by law.

In Georgia, nine observers have testified to seeing countless irregular ballots without the creases or typical markings indicating that the ballots did not arrive in envelopes as required. A poll watcher in Fulton County estimated that approximately 98% of the large number of unusually pristine ballots that she witnessed were for Biden. Highly unusual number. In addition, thousands of uncounted ballots were discovered in Floyd, Fayette, and Walton counties weeks after the election, and these ballots were mostly from Trump voters. They weren’t counted. They were from Trump voters.

In Detroit, everybody saw the tremendous conflict and the horrible way that the two Republican canvassers were treated so horribly because they wouldn’t vote when they saw that 71 percent of the precincts didn’t balance. Also, there were more votes than there were voters. Think of that. You had more votes than you had voters. That’s an easy one to figure, and it’s by the thousands.

In Arizona, in-person voters whose balanced produced error messages from tabulation machines were told to press a button that resulted in their votes not being counted. Also in Arizona, the attorney general announced that mail-in ballots had been stolen from mailboxes and hidden under a rock.

In Clark County, Nevada, where most of the state’s voters reside, the standards for matching a signature using the signature verification machine were intentionally lowered to allow large numbers of ballots to be counted that otherwise would never have passed muster. This machine was set at the lowest level.

According to one report, in order to test the process, nine voters in Clark County cast ballots with intentionally incorrect signatures, and eight of the nine ballots were accepted and counted. They said you could sign your name as Santa Claus, and it would be accepted. Last week, the Clark County Commission threw out the results of a local election after the registrar reported finding, quote, “discrepancies that we can’t explain.” Also in Nevada, some voters were entered into a raffle for more than a dozen gift cards worth as much as $250 if they could prove they had voted.

This took place on Indian reservations. One of the most significant indications of widespread fraud is the extraordinarily low rejection rates for mail-in ballots in many key states. These are the states that I had to win.

In swing state after swing state, the number of ballots rejected has been dramatically lower than what would have been expected based on prior experience. That means years and years of voting. In Georgia, just 0.2 percent, that’s substantially less than 1 percent, of mail-in ballots have been rejected. In other words, almost none have been rejected. They took everything. Nothing was rejected, practically, compared to 6.4 percent in 2016. There are those that think that 6.4 was a low number.

Think of it. Almost none were rejected. The previous election, 6.4 percent were rejected. We have seen similar declines in Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Michigan. Ballots weren’t rejected, especially if they happen to be in Democrat areas. These irregularities are inexplicable unless there is a deliberate effort to accept ineligible ballots or fraudulent ballots.

In Pennsylvania, the secretary of state and the state supreme court in essence abolished signature verification requirements just weeks prior to the election, in violation of state law. You’re not allowed to do that. It has to be approved by the legislature. A judge can’t do it. A state can’t do it. An official can’t do it. The only one that can do it is the legislature.

The reason for this is clear. They were not verifying signatures because they know the ballots have not been filled out by the voters in whose names they were cast. In other words, people filled them out that had nothing to do with the names on the ballot. A simple recount of the ballots under these circumstances only compounds the fraud.

The only way to determine whether there was an honest vote is to conduct a full review of the envelopes in the relevant states. You will find that many of them, tens of thousands, have fraudulent signatures. A full forensic audit is required to ensure that only legal ballots from lawfully registered voters that were properly cast are included in the final count.

This election is about great voter fraud, fraud that has never been seen like this before. It’s about poll watchers who were not allowed to watch. So illegal. It’s about ballots that poured in, and nobody but a few knew where they came from. They were counted, and they weren’t for me.

It’s about big leads on election night, tremendous leads, leads where I was being congratulated for a decisive easy victory. All of a sudden, by morning or a couple of days later, those leads rapidly evaporated. It’s about numbers of ballots that were sent that nobody know where they came from. It’s about machinery that was defective, machinery that was stopped during certain parts of the evening, miraculously to open with more votes.

It was about many other things, but above all, it was about fraud. This election was rigged. Everybody knows it. I don’t mind if I lose an election, but I want to lose an election fair and square. What I don’t want to do is have it stolen from the American people. That’s what we’re fighting for. We have no choice to be doing that.

We already have the proof. We already have the evidence, and it’s very clear. Many people in the media and even judges so far have refused to accept it. They know it’s true. They know it’s there. They know who won the election, but they refuse to say: “You’re right.” Our country needs somebody to say, “You’re right.”

Ultimately, I am prepared to accept any accurate election result, and I hope that Joe Biden is as well. We already have the proof. We already have tens of thousands of ballots more than we need to overturn all of these states that we’re talking about.

This is an election for the highest office in the greatest country in the history of the world. Every reasonable American should be able to agree, based on what we have already documented, that we need a systematic analysis of the mail-in ballots to review the envelopes. It’s about the signature. If they’re on the envelopes, we can only review the envelopes, and that will tell us everything.

This is the absolute minimum we should expect. This is not just about my campaign, although it has a lot to do with who’s going to be your next president. This is about restoring faith and confidence in American elections. This is about our democracy and the sacred rights that generations of Americans have fought, bled, and died to secure. Nothing is more urgent or more important.

The only ballots that should count in this election are those cast by eligible voters who are citizens of our country, residents of the states in which they voted, and who cast their ballots in a lawful manner before the legal deadline.

Moreover, we must never again have an election in which there is not a reliable and transparent system to verify the eligibility, identity, and residency of every single person who casts a ballot, a very, very cherished ballot.

Many very smart people have congratulated me on all we’ve done: the biggest tax cuts in history, regulation cuts, the biggest in history. We rebuilt our military. We took care of our vets like never before, Space Force, and so much more.

Then they went on to say, as big and as important as these events were, the single greatest achievement in your presidency will be exactly what you’re doing right now: voter integrity for our nation. It’s more important than any of the things that we discussed.

If we don’t root out the fraud, the tremendous and horrible fraud that’s taken place in our 2020 election, we don’t have a country anymore. With the resolve and support of the American people, we will restore honesty and integrity to our elections. We will restore trust in our system of government.

Thank you.

God bless you.

God bless America.

Three Months Is All We Have

THIS IS GOING VIRAL ON FACEBOOK

In just three months, it will be over. The U.S. Presidential election, I mean. Not the end of the world, but maybe the end of our nation, as we have known it. No, I will not be voting for Biden.... I am not voting for a man. I am not rallying for a personality. I am not pushing a person. At this point, I am voting for one thing and one thing only. I am voting for the principles for which this country has stood since its founding. I am voting for Constitutional government. 

I am voting for a strong and viable military. I am voting for a vibrant economy. I am voting for the right to keep and bear arms. I am voting for the freedom to worship. I am voting for the ability for anyone to rise above their circumstances and become successful. I am voting for my children and grandchildren to be able to choose their own path in life, including how and where their children are educated. 

I am voting for our borders to be open to everyone who enters under our law and closed to everyone who would circumvent or ignore the law. I am voting for the Electoral College to remain in place, so that a few heavily populated liberal centers do not control the elections. I am voting for a Supreme Court that interprets the Constitution rather than rewrites it. I am voting to teach history, with all of its warts, not erase it or revise it.

Now, there are some things I am voting against. I am voting against open borders. I am voting against a rampant welfare system that enslaves its recipients. I am voting against socialism, in all of its forms, including health care, redistribution, reparations, economics, governmental control, pedophilia, and criminal releases, etc. I would rather pay for prison reform then see the criminals released to repeatedly commit the same crimes!

So, although I don’t give blanket approval to everything our President has done or said in the past, I do support him as our President! I am not voting against Joe Biden, but I am voting against everything that the party backing him and propping him up stands for. It is not the Democratic Party of the past.

Three months is all we have.

Source: https://www.chattanoogan.com/2020/8/18/413733/Roy-Exum-Exactly-What-I-Think.aspx

San Jose: Dịch Phổi Gây Hoang Mang

Đức Hà

Việt Mercury

“Qua tin tức  nghe được thì SARS được mô tả như  bệnh xưng phổi cấp tính mà tác nhân có thể là chủng vi-rút mới,” bác sĩ Trịnh Ngọc Huy giải thích về căn bệnh lạ đang gây hoang mang và ưu lo cho những người Việt Vùng Vịnh sắp du lịch vùng Á châu trong đó có Việt Nam, nơi được cơ quan y tế quốc tế WHO xem là có nguy cơ cao bị lây nhiễm.

Bác sĩ Huy cho biết SARS viết tắt của Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrom tức hội chứng hô hấp cấp tính nghiêm trọng khiến bệnh nhân nghẹt thở và chết. Ông nói:

“Trong buồng phổi có rất nhiều những đường ống nhỏ li ti có nhiệm vụ đem dưỡng khí - oxy vào máu. Những đường ống này bị bể và tắc nghẽn do nhiểm một loại vi-rút hiện chưa biết rõ khiến bệnh nhân lên cơn sốt, ho, khó thở và có thể tử vong.”

Tính cho tới thứ Ba đã có 14 người tử vong vì SARS và hơn 500 người bị nhiễm bệnh, phần lớn tại Trung Quốc, Hồng Kông và Việt Nam. Việc lan truyền nhanh và đều khắp này đã khiến WHO phải báo động toàn cầu, lần đầu tiên từ 10 năm nay.

Cơ quan kiểm soát dịch bệnh Hoa Kỳ CDC đang lo ngại bệnh có thể xâm nhập nước Mỹ qua hai cửa khẩu Los Angeles và San Francisco, nơi mỗi ngày tiếp đón gần 10,000 hành khách đến từ vùng Đông Nam Á. Ngay từ thứ Hai vừa qua, California đã ban hành những biện pháp để ngăn chận bệnh lây lan nếu có.

Cho tới nay chưa có ca bệnh SARS nào được xác nhận ở California cho dù nhân viên y tế của vùng Los Angeles cho biết một người bị nghi ngờ sau khi xin được cấp cứu hồi cuối tuần. Nhân viên y tế đã bắt đầu phân phát những truyền đơn cho hành khách đến từ Hồng Kông qua hai sân bay Los Angeles và San Francisco trong đó có ghi những biện pháp phải làm nếu cảm thấy có những triệu chứng lạ gây khó chịu. Tờ truyền đơn khuyên những du khách hay công dân Mỹ đến từ Á Châu phải theo rõi chặt chẽ tình trạng sức khỏe của mình trong vòng bẩy ngày và phải báo ngay cho y sĩ gia đình  biết nếu bị sốt, ho và khó thở.

Tin tức về dịch bệnh lạ đã làm nhiều người Việt sắp du lịch Việt Nam và Trung Quốc trở nên hốt hoảng và hoang mang hơn là tình hình chiến tranh Iraq xảy ra nay mai.

“Chúng tôi phải hủy bỏ chuyến đi,” ông Châu nói với Việt Mercury.

Ông Phan Châu cùng chín người bạn dự trù từ ba tháng nay một chuyến du lịch hai tuần lễ đi thăm núi Hoàng Sơn, thành phố Vũ Hán và sông Dương Tử ở Trung Quốc, khởi hành từ hôm nay thứ Sáu đã quyết định không đi nữa.

“Nếu đi chơi không phải lo nghĩ thì hãy đi, còn đi về lại phải đi làm thì tôi nghĩ nên đợi dịp khác tốt hơn,” ông Đào Trọng Hội cho biết. Ông là một thành viên khác trong đoàn 10 người đã chuẩn bị song suôi từ hành lý đến phim ảnh video cho chuyến du xuân Trung Quốc.

Ông cho biết thêm rằng khi đi chơi về và đi làm, lại ho húng hắng cũng phiền cho các đồng nghiệp trong cùng sở.

Tuy các dịch vụ du lịch ở San Jose từ chối không cho biết bao nhiêu người Việt đã xin hoãn hay hủy bỏ chuyến bay về Việt Nam nhưng bản tin của AP đánh đi từ Đài Loan nói rằng hàng trăm người Đài Loan đã bãi bỏ chuyến tham quan Trung Quốc và Việt Nam do sự xuất hiện của căn bệnh lạ tương tự như bệnh nhiễm trùng phổi. Ít nhứt một y tá và một bác sĩ Pháp ở Hà Nội đã chết vì SARS và hơn 60 người nhiễm bệnh tại bệnh viện Bạch Mai và bệnh viện Pháp Việt đã được cách ly. Trong khi đó tin từ Việt Nam cho biết nhiều phái đoàn nước ngoài dự trù hội nghị ở Hà Nội cũng đã hoãn lại và văn phòng lãnh sự quán Czech tại Hà Nội đã đóng cửa.

Hiện nay người ta không biết nguyên nhân, không có thuốc trị và chưa đặt tên cho căn bệnh mới này ngoài bốn chữ ghép SARS.

Cơ quan y tế quốc tế WHO cho hay đang điều tra những bệnh nhân bị nghi ngờ nhiễm SARS tại Anh quốc, Pháp, Israel, Slovenia và Australia. WHO cũng liệt kê Philippines, Singapore, Hồng Kông, Canada và Việt Nam là những nước có nguy cơ cao lây bệnh SARS.

Lo ngại về căn bệnh này, ông Trần Hoành, nhà ở khu Quimby, San Jose dự kiến về Việt Nam thăm gia đình vào tuần sau cho biết đang suy nghĩ lại.

“Bên này thì chiến tranh, bên kia thì bệnh; thôi ở đâu ở đó cho chắc ăn,” ông nói.

Bài viết có sự đóng góp của phóng viên Mercury  News Lisa Krieger được đăng trên VietMercury 21 tháng 03, 2003

Remarks by President Trump in State of the Union Address

THE PRESIDENT:  Madam Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, the First Lady of the United States — (applause) — and my fellow Americans:

We meet tonight at a moment of unlimited potential.  As we begin a new Congress, I stand here ready to work with you to achieve historic breakthroughs for all Americans.

Millions of our fellow citizens are watching us now, gathered in this great chamber, hoping that we will govern not as two parties but as one nation.  (Applause.)

                                                                       Getty

The agenda I will lay out this evening is not a Republican agenda or a Democrat agenda.  It’s the agenda of the American people.

Many of us have campaigned on the same core promises: to defend American jobs and demand fair trade for American workers; to rebuild and revitalize our nation’s infrastructure; to reduce the price of healthcare and prescription drugs; to create an immigration system that is safe, lawful, modern, and secure; and to pursue a foreign policy that puts America’s interests first.

There is a new opportunity in American politics, if only we have the courage, together, to seize it.  (Applause.)  Victory is not winning for our party.  Victory is winning for our country.  (Applause.)

This year, America will recognize two important anniversaries that show us the majesty of America’s mission and the power of American pride.

In June, we mark 75 years since the start of what General Dwight D. Eisenhower called the “Great Crusade” — the Allied liberation of Europe in World War II.  (Applause.)  On D-Day, June 6th, 1944, 15,000 young American men jumped from the sky, and 60,000 more stormed in from the sea, to save our civilization from tyranny.  Here with us tonight are three of those incredible heroes: Private First Class Joseph Reilly, Staff Sergeant Irving Locker, and Sergeant Herman Zeitchik.  (Applause.)  Please.  Gentlemen, we salute you.

In 2019, we also celebrate 50 years since brave young pilots flew a quarter of a million miles through space to plant the American flag on the face of the moon.  Half a century later, we are joined by one of the Apollo 11 astronauts who planted that flag: Buzz Aldrin.  (Applause.)  Thank you, Buzz.  This year, American astronauts will go back to space on American rockets.  (Applause.)

In the 20th century, America saved freedom, transformed science, redefined the middle class, and, when you get down to it, there’s nothing anywhere in the world that can compete with America.  (Applause.)  Now we must step boldly and bravely into the next chapter of this great American adventure, and we must create a new standard of living for the 21st century.  An amazing quality of life for all of our citizens is within reach.

We can make our communities safer, our families stronger, our culture richer, our faith deeper, and our middle class bigger and more prosperous than ever before.  (Applause.)

But we must reject the politics of revenge, resistance, and retribution, and embrace the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise, and the common good.  (Applause.)

Together, we can break decades of political stalemate.  We can bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions, forge new solutions, and unlock the extraordinary promise of America’s future.  The decision is ours to make.

We must choose between greatness or gridlock, results or resistance, vision or vengeance, incredible progress or pointless destruction.

Tonight, I ask you to choose greatness.  (Applause.)

Over the last two years, my administration has moved with urgency and historic speed to confront problems neglected by leaders of both parties over many decades.

In just over two years since the election, we have launched an unprecedented economic boom — a boom that has rarely been seen before.  There’s been nothing like it.  We have created 5.3 million new jobs and, importantly, added 600,000 new manufacturing jobs — something which almost everyone said was impossible to do.  But the fact is, we are just getting started.  (Applause.)

Wages are rising at the fastest pace in decades and growing for blue-collar workers, who I promised to fight for.  They’re growing faster than anyone else thought possible.  Nearly 5 million Americans have been lifted off food stamps.  (Applause.)  The U.S. economy is growing almost twice as fast today as when I took office.  And we are considered, far and away, the hottest economy anywhere in the world.  Not even close.  (Applause.)

Unemployment has reached the lowest rate in over half a century.  (Applause.)  African American, Hispanic American, and Asian American unemployment have all reached their lowest levels ever recorded.  (Applause.)  Unemployment for Americans with disabilities has also reached an all-time low.  (Applause.)  More people are working now than at any time in the history of our country — 157 million people at work.  (Applause.)

We passed a massive tax cut for working families and doubled the child tax credit.  (Applause.)

We virtually ended the estate tax — or death tax, as it is often called — on small businesses for ranchers and also for family farms.  (Applause.)

We eliminated the very unpopular Obamacare individual mandate penalty.  (Applause.)  And to give critically ill patients access to lifesaving cures, we passed, very importantly, Right to Try.  (Applause.)

My administration has cut more regulations in a short period of time than any other administration during its entire tenure.  (Applause.)  Companies are coming back to our country in large numbers thanks to our historic reductions in taxes and regulations.  (Applause.)

And we have unleashed a revolution in American energy.  The United States is now the number-one producer of oil and natural gas anywhere in the world.  (Applause.)  And now, for the first time in 65 years, we are a net exporter of energy.  (Applause.)

After 24 months of rapid progress, our economy is the envy of the world, our military is the most powerful on Earth, by far, and America — (applause) — America is again winning each and every day.  (Applause.)

Members of Congress: The state of our union is strong.  (Applause.)

AUDIENCE:  USA!  USA!  USA!

THE PRESIDENT:  That sounds so good.  (Laughter.)

Our country is vibrant and our economy is thriving like never before.

On Friday, it was announced that we added another 304,000 jobs last month alone — almost double the number expected.  (Applause.)  An economic miracle is taking place in the United States, and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics, or ridiculous partisan investigations.  (Applause.)

If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation.  It just doesn’t work that way.

We must be united at home to defeat our adversaries abroad.  This new era of cooperation can start with finally confirming the more than 300 highly qualified nominees who are still stuck in the Senate.  In some cases, years and years waiting.  Not right.  (Applause.)  The Senate has failed to act on these nominations, which is unfair to the nominees and very unfair to our country.

Now is the time for bipartisan action.  Believe it or not, we have already proven that that’s possible.

In the last Congress, both parties came together to pass unprecedented legislation to confront the opioid crisis, a sweeping new farm bill, historic VA reforms.  And after four decades of rejection, we passed VA Accountability so that we can finally terminate those who mistreat our wonderful veterans.  (Applause.)

And just weeks ago, both parties united for groundbreaking criminal justice reform.  They said it couldn’t be done.  (Applause.)

Last year, I heard, through friends, the story of Alice Johnson.  I was deeply moved.  In 1997, Alice was sentenced to life in prison as a first-time non-violent drug offender.  Over the next 22 years, she became a prison minister, inspiring others to choose a better path.  She had a big impact on that prison population, and far beyond.

Alice’s story underscores the disparities and unfairness that can exist in criminal sentencing, and the need to remedy this total injustice.  She served almost that 22 years and had expected to be in prison for the remainder of her life.

In June, I commuted Alice’s sentence.  When I saw Alice’s beautiful family greet her at the prison gates, hugging and kissing and crying and laughing, I knew I did something right.  Alice is with us tonight, and she is a terrific woman.  Terrific.  Alice, please.  (Applause.)

Alice, thank you for reminding us that we always have the power to shape our own destiny.  Thank you very much, Alice.  Thank you very much.  (Applause.)

Inspired by stories like Alice’s, my administration worked closely with members of both parties to sign the FIRST STEP Act into law.  Big deal.  (Applause.)  It’s a big deal.

This legislation reformed sentencing laws that have wrongly and disproportionately harmed the African American community.  The FIRST STEP Act gives non-violent offenders the chance to reenter society as productive, law-abiding citizens.  Now states across the country are following our lead.  America is a nation that believes in redemption.

We are also joined tonight by Matthew Charles from Tennessee.  In 1996, at the age of 30, Matthew was sentenced to 35 years for selling drugs and related offenses.  Over the next two decades, he completed more than 30 Bible studies, became a law clerk, and mentored many of his fellow inmates.

Now, Matthew is the very first person to be released from prison under the FIRST STEP Act.  (Applause.)  Matthew, please.  Thank you, Matthew.  Welcome home.  (Applause.)

Now, Republicans and Democrats must join forces again to confront an urgent national crisis.  Congress has 10 days left to pass a bill that will fund our government, protect our homeland, and secure our very dangerous southern border.

Now is the time for Congress to show the world that America is committed to ending illegal immigration and putting the ruthless coyotes, cartels, drug dealers, and human traffickers out of business.  (Applause.)

As we speak, large, organized caravans are on the march to the United States.  We have just heard that Mexican cities, in order to remove the illegal immigrants from their communities, are getting trucks and buses to bring them up to our country in areas where there is little border protection.  I have ordered another 3,750 troops to our southern border to prepare for this tremendous onslaught.

This is a moral issue.  The lawless state of our southern border is a threat to the safety, security, and financial wellbeing of all America.  We have a moral duty to create an immigration system that protects the lives and jobs of our citizens.  This includes our obligation to the millions of immigrants living here today who followed the rules and respected our laws.  Legal immigrants enrich our nation and strengthen our society in countless ways.  (Applause.)

I want people to come into our country in the largest numbers ever, but they have to come in legally.  (Applause.)

Tonight, I am asking you to defend our very dangerous southern border out of love and devotion to our fellow citizens and to our country.

No issue better illustrates the divide between America’s working class and America’s political class than illegal immigration.  Wealthy politicians and donors push for open borders while living their lives behind walls, and gates, and guards.  (Applause.)

Meanwhile, working-class Americans are left to pay the price for mass illegal migration: reduced jobs, lower wages, overburdened schools, hospitals that are so crowded you can’t get in, increased crime, and a depleted social safety net.  Tolerance for illegal immigration is not compassionate; it is actually very cruel.  (Applause.)

One in three women is sexually assaulted on the long journey north.  Smugglers use migrant children as human pawns to exploit our laws and gain access to our country.  Human traffickers and sex traffickers take advantage of the wide-open areas between our ports of entry to smuggle thousands of young girls and women into the United States and to sell them into prostitution and modern-day slavery.

Tens of thousands of innocent Americans are killed by lethal drugs that cross our border and flood into our cities, including meth, heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl.

The savage gang, MS-13, now operates in at least 20 different American states, and they almost all come through our southern border.  Just yesterday, an MS-13 gang member was taken into custody for a fatal shooting on a subway platform in New York City.  We are removing these gang members by the thousands.  But until we secure our border, they’re going to keep streaming right back in.

Year after year, countless Americans are murdered by criminal illegal aliens.  I’ve gotten to know many wonderful Angel moms and dads, and families.  No one should ever have to suffer the horrible heartache that they have had to endure.

Here tonight is Debra Bissell.  Just three weeks ago, Debra’s parents, Gerald and Sharon, were burglarized and shot to death in their Reno, Nevada home by an illegal alien.  They were in their eighties, and are survived by 4 children, 11 grandchildren, and 20 great-grandchildren.  Also here tonight are Gerald and Sharon’s granddaughter Heather, and great-granddaughter Madison.

To Debra, Heather, Madison, please stand.  Few can understand your pain.  Thank you.  And thank you for being here.  Thank you very much.  (Applause.)

I will never forget, and I will fight for the memory of Gerald and Sharon that it should never happen again.  Not one more American life should be lost because our nation failed to control its very dangerous border.

In the last two years, our brave ICE officers made 266,000 arrests of criminal aliens, including those charged or convicted of nearly 100,000 assaults, 30,000 sex crimes, and 4,000 killings or murders.

We are joined tonight by one of those law enforcement heroes: ICE Special Agent Elvin Hernandez.  When Elvin — (applause) — thank you.

When Elvin was a boy, he and his family legally immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic.  At the age of eight, Elvin told his dad he wanted to become a Special Agent.  Today, he leads investigations into the scourge of international sex trafficking.

Elvin says that, “If I can make sure these young girls get their justice, I’ve [really] done my job.”  Thanks to his work, and that of his incredible colleagues, more than 300 women and girls have been rescued from the horror of this terrible situation, and more than 1,500 sadistic traffickers have been put behind bars.  (Applause.)  Thank you, Elvin.

We will always support the brave men and women of law enforcement, and I pledge to you tonight that I will never abolish our heroes from ICE.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

My administration has sent to Congress a commonsense proposal to end the crisis on the southern border.  It includes humanitarian assistance, more law enforcement, drug detection at our ports, closing loopholes that enable child smuggling, and plans for a new physical barrier, or wall, to secure the vast areas between our ports of entry.

In the past, most of the people in this room voted for a wall, but the proper wall never got built.  I will get it built.  (Applause.)

This is a smart, strategic, see-through steel barrier — not just a simple concrete wall.  It will be deployed in the areas identified by the border agents as having the greatest need.  And these agents will tell you: Where walls go up, illegal crossings go way, way down.  (Applause.)

San Diego used to have the most illegal border crossings in our country.  In response, a strong security wall was put in place.  This powerful barrier almost completely ended illegal crossings.

The border city of El Paso, Texas used to have extremely high rates of violent crime — one of the highest in the entire country, and considered one of our nation’s most dangerous cities.  Now, immediately upon its building, with a powerful barrier in place, El Paso is one of the safest cities in our country.  Simply put: Walls work, and walls save lives.  (Applause.)

So let’s work together, compromise, and reach a deal that will truly make America safe.

As we work to defend our people’s safety, we must also ensure our economic resurgence continues at a rapid pace.  No one has benefitted more from our thriving economy than women, who have filled 58 percent of the newly created jobs last year.  (Applause.)

You weren’t supposed to do that.  Thank you very much.  Thank you very much.

All Americans can be proud that we have more women in the workforce than ever before.  (Applause.)

Don’t sit yet.  You’re going to like this.  (Laughter.)

And exactly one century after Congress passed the constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote, we also have more women serving in Congress than at any time before.  (Applause.)

AUDIENCE:  USA!  USA!  USA!

THE PRESIDENT:  That’s great.  Really great.  And congratulations.  That’s great.

As part of our commitment to improving opportunity for women everywhere, this Thursday we are launching the first-ever government-wide initiative focused on economic empowerment for women in developing countries.

To build on — (applause) — thank you.  To build on our incredible economic success, one priority is paramount: reversing decades of calamitous trade policies.  So bad.

We are now making it clear to China that, after years of targeting our industries and stealing our intellectual property, the theft of American jobs and wealth has come to an end.  (Applause.)  Therefore, we recently imposed tariffs on $250 billion of Chinese goods, and now our Treasury is receiving billions and billions of dollars.

But I don’t blame China for taking advantage of us; I blame our leaders and representatives for allowing this travesty to happen.  I have great respect for President Xi, and we are now working on a new trade deal with China.  But it must include real, structural change to end unfair trade practices, reduce our chronic trade deficit, and protect American jobs.  (Applause.)  Thank you.

Another historic trade blunder was the catastrophe known as NAFTA.  I have met the men and women of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, New Hampshire, and many other states whose dreams were shattered by the signing of NAFTA.  For years, politicians promised them they would renegotiate for a better deal, but no one ever tried, until now.

Our new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the USMCA, will replace NAFTA and deliver for American workers like they haven’t had delivered to for a long time.  I hope you can pass the USMCA into law so that we can bring back our manufacturing jobs in even greater numbers, expand American agriculture, protect intellectual property, and ensure that more cars are proudly stamped with our four beautiful words: “Made in the USA.”  (Applause.)

Tonight, I am also asking you to pass the United States Reciprocal Trade Act, so that if another country places an unfair tariff on an American product, we can charge them the exact same tariff on the exact same product that they sell to us.  (Applause.)

Both parties should be able to unite for a great rebuilding of America’s crumbling infrastructure.  (Applause.)

I know that Congress is eager to pass an infrastructure bill, and I am eager to work with you on legislation to deliver new and important infrastructure investment, including investments in the cutting-edge industries of the future.  This is not an option.  This is a necessity.

The next major priority for me, and for all of us, should be to lower the cost of healthcare and prescription drugs, and to protect patients with preexisting conditions.  (Applause.)

Already, as a result of my administration’s efforts, in 2018, drug prices experienced their single largest decline in 46 years.  (Applause.)

But we must do more.  It’s unacceptable that Americans pay vastly more than people in other countries for the exact same drugs, often made in the exact same place.  This is wrong, this is unfair, and together we will stop it — and we’ll stop it fast.  (Applause.)

I am asking Congress to pass legislation that finally takes on the problem of global freeloading and delivers fairness and price transparency for American patients, finally.  (Applause.)

We should also require drug companies, insurance companies, and hospitals to disclose real prices to foster competition and bring costs way down.  (Applause.)

No force in history has done more to advance the human condition than American freedom.  In recent years — (applause) — in recent years, we have made remarkable progress in the fight against HIV and AIDS.  Scientific breakthroughs have brought a once-distant dream within reach.  My budget will ask Democrats and Republicans to make the needed commitment to eliminate the HIV epidemic in the United States within 10 years.  We have made incredible strides.  Incredible.  (Applause.)  Together, we will defeat AIDS in America and beyond.  (Applause.)

Tonight, I am also asking you to join me in another fight that all Americans can get behind: the fight against childhood cancer.  (Applause.)

Joining Melania in the gallery this evening is a very brave 10-year-old girl, Grace Eline.  Every birthday — (applause) — hi, Grace.  (Laughter.)  Every birthday since she was four, Grace asked her friends to donate to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.  She did not know that one day she might be a patient herself.  That’s what happened.

Last year, Grace was diagnosed with brain cancer. Immediately, she began radiation treatment.  At the same time, she rallied her community and raised more than $40,000 for the fight against cancer.  (Applause.)  When Grace completed treatment last fall, her doctors and nurses cheered — they loved her; they still love her — with tears in their eyes as she hung up a poster that read: “Last day of chemo.”  (Applause.)  Thank you very much, Grace.  You are a great inspiration to everyone in this room.  Thank you very much.

Many childhood cancers have not seen new therapies in decades.  My budget will ask Congress for $500 million over the next 10 years to fund this critical lifesaving research.

To help support working parents, the time has come to pass School Choice for Americans’ children.  (Applause.)  I am also proud to be the first President to include in my budget a plan for nationwide paid family leave, so that every new parent has the chance to bond with their newborn child.  (Applause.)

There could be no greater contrast to the beautiful image of a mother holding her infant child than the chilling displays our nation saw in recent days.  Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother’s womb moments from birth.  These are living, feeling, beautiful babies who will never get the chance to share their love and their dreams with the world.  And then, we had the case of the Governor of Virginia where he stated he would execute a baby after birth.

To defend the dignity of every person, I am asking Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mother’s womb.  (Applause.)

Let us work together to build a culture that cherishes innocent life.  (Applause.)  And let us reaffirm a fundamental truth: All children — born and unborn — are made in the holy image of God.

The final part of my agenda is to protect American security.  Over the last two years, we have begun to fully rebuild the United States military, with $700 billion last year and $716 billion this year.

We are also getting other nations to pay their fair share.  (Applause.)  Finally.  Finally.  For years, the United States was being treated very unfairly by friends of ours, members of NATO.  But now we have secured, over the last couple of years, more than $100 billion of increase in defense spending from our NATO Allies.  (Applause.)  They said it couldn’t be done.

As part of our military build-up, the United States is developing a state-of-the-art missile defense system.

Under my administration, we will never apologize for advancing America’s interests.

For example, decades ago, the United States entered into a treaty with Russia in which we agreed to limit and reduce our missile capability.  While we followed the agreement and the rules to the letter, Russia repeatedly violated its terms.  It’s been going on for many years.  That is why I announced that the United States is officially withdrawing from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, or INF Treaty.

Perhaps — (applause) — we really have no choice.  Perhaps we can negotiate a different agreement, adding China and others, or perhaps we can’t — in which case, we will outspend and out-innovate all others by far.  (Applause.)

As part of a bold new diplomacy, we continue our historic push for peace on the Korean Peninsula.  Our hostages have come home, nuclear testing has stopped, and there has not been a missile launch in more than 15 months.  If I had not been elected President of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea.  (Applause.)

Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong Un is a good one.  Chairman Kim and I will meet again on February 27th and 28th in Vietnam.  (Applause.)

Two weeks ago, the United States officially recognized the legitimate government of Venezuela — (applause) — and its new President, Juan Guaidó.  (Applause.)

We stand with the Venezuelan people in their noble quest for freedom, and we condemn the brutality of the Maduro regime, whose socialist policies have turned that nation from being the wealthiest in South America into a state of abject poverty and despair.  (Applause.)

Here in the United States, we are alarmed by the new calls to adopt socialism in our country.

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE PRESIDENT:  America was founded on liberty and independence, and not government coercion, domination, and control.  (Applause.)  We are born free and we will stay free.  (Applause.)

AUDIENCE:  USA!  USA!  USA!

THE PRESIDENT:  Tonight, we renew our resolve that America will never be a socialist country.  (Applause.)

AUDIENCE:  USA!  USA!  USA!

THE PRESIDENT:  One of the most complex set of challenges we face, and have for many years, is in the Middle East.  Our approach is based on principled realism, not discredited theories that have failed for decades to yield progress.  For this reason, my administration recognized the true capital of Israel, and proudly opened the American Embassy in Jerusalem.  (Applause.)

Our brave troops have now been fighting in the Middle East for almost 19 years.  In Afghanistan and Iraq, nearly 7,000 American heroes have given their lives.  More than 52,000 Americans have been badly wounded.  We have spent more than $7 trillion in fighting wars in the Middle East.

As a candidate for President, I loudly pledged a new approach.  Great nations do not fight endless wars.  (Applause.)

When I took office, ISIS controlled more than 20,000 square miles in Iraq and Syria — just two years ago.  Today, we have liberated virtually all of the territory from the grip of these bloodthirsty monsters.

Now, as we work with our allies to destroy the remnants of ISIS, it is time to give our brave warriors in Syria a warm welcome home.

I have also accelerated our negotiations to reach — if possible — a political settlement in Afghanistan.  The opposing side is also very happy to be negotiating.  Our troops have fought with unmatched valor.  And thanks to their bravery, we are now able to pursue a possible political solution to this long and bloody conflict.  (Applause.)

In Afghanistan, my administration is holding constructive talks with a number of Afghan groups, including the Taliban.  As we make progress in these negotiations, we will be able to reduce our troop’s presence and focus on counter-terrorism.  And we will indeed focus on counter-terrorism.

We do not know whether we will achieve an agreement, but we do know that, after two decades of war, the hour has come to at least try for peace.  And the other side would like to do the same thing.  It’s time.  (Applause.)

Above all, friend and foe alike must never doubt this nation’s power and will to defend our people.  Eighteen years ago, violent terrorists attacked the USS Cole.  And last month, American forces killed one of the leaders of that attack. (Applause.)

We are honored to be joined tonight by Tom Wibberley, whose son, Navy Seaman Craig Wibberley, was one of the 17 sailors we tragically lost.  Tom, we vow to always remember the heroes of the USS Cole.  (Applause.)  Thank you, Tom.

My administration has acted decisively to confront the world’s leading state sponsor of terror: the radical regime in Iran.  It is a radical regime.  They do bad, bad things.

To ensure this corrupt dictatorship never acquires nuclear weapons, I withdrew the United States from the disastrous Iran nuclear deal.  (Applause.)

And last fall, we put in place the toughest sanctions ever imposed by us on a country.

We will not avert our eyes from a regime that chants “Death to America” and threatens genocide against the Jewish people.  (Applause.)  We must never ignore the vile poison of anti-Semitism, or those who spread its venomous creed.  With one voice, we must confront this hatred anywhere and everywhere it occurs.

Just months ago, 11 Jewish-Americans were viciously murdered in an anti-Semitic attack on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh.  SWAT Officer Timothy Matson raced into the gunfire and was shot seven times chasing down the killer.  And he was very successful.  Timothy has just had his 12th surgery, and he is going in for many more.  But he made the trip to be here with us tonight.  Officer Matson, please.  (Applause.)  Thank you.  We are forever grateful.  Thank you very much.

Tonight, we are also joined by Pittsburgh survivor, Judah Samet.  He arrived at the synagogue as the massacre began.  But not only did Judah narrowly escape death last fall, more than seven decades ago, he narrowly survived the Nazi concentration camps.  Today is Judah’s 81st birthday.  (Applause.)

AUDIENCE:  (Sings “Happy Birthday.”)  (Applause.)

MR. SAMET:  Thank you!

THE PRESIDENT:  They wouldn’t do that for me, Judah.  (Laughter.)

Judah says he can still remember the exact moment, nearly 75 years ago, after 10 months in a concentration camp, when he and his family were put on a train and told they were going to another camp.  Suddenly, the train screeched to a very strong halt.  A soldier appeared.  Judah’s family braced for the absolute worst.  Then, his father cried out with joy, “It’s the Americans!  It’s the Americans!”  (Applause.)  Thank you.

A second Holocaust survivor who is here tonight, Joshua Kaufman, was a prisoner at Dachau.  He remembers watching through a hole in the wall of a cattle car as American soldiers rolled in with tanks.  “To me,” Joshua recalls, “the American soldiers were proof that God exists, and they came down from the sky.”  They came down from Heaven.

I began this evening by honoring three soldiers who fought on D-Day in the Second World War.  One of them was Herman Zeitchik.  But there is more to Herman’s story.  A year after he stormed the beaches of Normandy, Herman was one of the American soldiers who helped liberate Dachau.  (Applause.)  He was one of the Americans who helped rescue Joshua from that hell on Earth.

Almost 75 years later, Herman and Joshua are both together in the gallery tonight, seated side-by-side, here in the home of American freedom.  Herman and Joshua, your presence this evening is very much appreciated.  Thank you very much.  (Applause.)  Thank you.

When American soldiers set out beneath the dark skies over the English Channel in the early hours of D-Day, 1944, they were just young men of 18 and 19, hurtling on fragile landing craft toward the most momentous battle in the history of war.

They did not know if they would survive the hour.  They did not know if they would grow old.  But they knew that America had to prevail.  Their cause was this nation and generations yet unborn.

Why did they do it?  They did it for America.  They did it for us.

Everything that has come since — our triumph over communism, our giant leaps of science and discovery, our unrivaled progress towards equality and justice — all of it is possible thanks to the blood and tears and courage and vision of the Americans who came before.

Think of this Capitol.  Think of this very Chamber, where lawmakers before you voted to end slavery, to build the railroads and the highways, and defeat fascism, to secure civil rights, and to face down evil empires.

Here tonight, we have legislators from across this magnificent republic.  You have come from the rocky shores of Maine and the volcanic peaks of Hawaii; from the snowy woods of Wisconsin and the red deserts of Arizona; from the green farms of Kentucky and the golden beaches of California.  Together, we represent the most extraordinary nation in all of history.

What will we do with this moment?  How will we be remembered?

I ask the men and women of this Congress: Look at the opportunities before us.  Our most thrilling achievements are still ahead.  Our most exciting journeys still await.  Our biggest victories are still to come.  We have not yet begun to dream.

We must choose whether we are defined by our differences or whether we dare to transcend them.

We must choose whether we squander our great inheritance or whether we proudly declare that we are Americans.

We do the incredible.  We defy the impossible.  We conquer the unknown.

This is the time to reignite the American imagination.  This is the time to search for the tallest summit and set our sights on the brightest star.  This is the time to rekindle the bonds of love and loyalty and memory that link us together as citizens, as neighbors, as patriots.

This is our future, our fate, and our choice to make.  I am asking you to choose greatness.

No matter the trials we face, no matter the challenges to come, we must go forward together.

We must keep America first in our hearts.  We must keep freedom alive in our souls.  And we must always keep faith in America’s destiny that one nation, under God, must be the hope and the promise, and the light and the glory, among all the nations of the world.

Thank you.  God bless you.  And God bless America.  Thank you very much.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-state-union-address-2/

Happy 2020

Cắt Lông Chó Nuôi Con Ăn Học

Đức Hà

Việt Mercury

Đến Mỹ năm 1992 với hai bàn tay trắng, ông Bồ Văn Mênh, năm nay 59 tuổi và vợ, bà Võ Ngọc Hạnh, 52 tuổi. chỉ thấy một gánh nặng không thể nào kể xiết khi phải ổn định nơi ăn chốn ở và nuôi nấng cho bẩy người con gồm hai trai và năm gái tại một đất nước hoàn toàn xa lạ từ phong tục tập quán đến ngôn ngữ. Vậy mà vào ngày hôm nay, 12 năm sau, gia đình ông bà Mênh lại là gia đình mà nhìn vào người ta có thể xem là hạnh phúc và ổn định hơn ai hết. Không giàu sang phú quí nhưng gắn bó và thương yêu lẫn nhau.

“Tại Trời thương thôi,” ông Mênh nói nhỏ nhẹ và nhắc lại thêm một lần “Trời thương thôi, chứ tài cán bao nhiêu.”

Tuy vẫn ở căn nhà thuê tại San Jose, ít ra trong gia đình cũng có một người con gái sắp tốt nghiệp trường San Jose State University văn bằng master’s và hai người con trai đang học đại học cộng đồng Evergreen, nhưng cho đến nay hai ông bà chưa hề biết trợ cấp xã hội, trợ cấp thất nghiệp, trợ cấp con đông hay trợ cấp nhà ở.

“Chúng tôi cám ơn nước Mỹ cho chúng tôi cơ hội mưu sinh và cho con cái chúng tôi cơ hội học hành,” ông Mênh tâm sự.

Cũng như nhiều người Việt khác khi đến định cư tại Hoa Kỳ đều muốn tiến thân và hội nhập vào xã hội Mỹ nhưng trường hợp của chủ nhân tiệm Alum Rock Groomers nằm trên đường Alum Rock, San Jose lại là một trường hợp kỳ thú với những tình tiết cần được suy gẫm. Bởi vì tuy làm việc trong dòng chính của nghề chăm sóc tắm gội, chải bới, tỉa xén và làm nail cho thú vật nuôi trong nhà thì tiếng Anh của bà Hạnh ở mức rất khiêm nhường và của ông Mênh hoàn toàn như chưa bao giờ đến Mỹ.

“Tôi dốt nát, tiếng Việt còn không xong nói chi tiếng Anh tiếng Mỹ,” ông nói. Ông cho biết ngoài “yes và no” ông không biết gì hơn.

Sự nghiệp của họ thật giản đơn: đến Mỹ và bắt tay ngay vào làm việc, ngay cả trước khi thời hạn trợ cấp ban đầu hết hạn. Thực tập và học nghề với chủ trong bẩy năm và sau đó tự túc một cửa hàng riêng của mình từ bốn năm nay. Công việc của họ: tỉa lông, cắt móng, tắm rửa, chải bới cho chó, mèo, két, chim, thỏ, kỳ đà và cả rắn… nghĩa là bất cứ loại thú nào nuôi trong nhà cần được làm đẹp, làm dáng, cần được sửa sang về ngoại hình. Giá cả để “làm đẹp” cho chó từ $15 đến hơn $100 tùy theo loại chó và làm bao nhiêu món. Đằng sau công việc làm đẹp cho thú vật là cả một quá trình phấn đấu, học hỏi và chuyên cần.

“Hôm đó hai vợ chồng đón xe buýt đi khám bệnh, trên xe vô tình ngồi cạnh một người đàn ông da đen, người này nói gì tui không hiểu nhưng hình như muốn giúp gì đó rồi ổng mời đến một cửa hàng tên Carmelita’s Dog Laundry trên đường Capitol Expressway,” bà Hạnh kể lại, giọng nói cởi mở, bình dân, vui vẻ.

Sự nghiệp của ông bà Mênh bắt đầu kể từ ngày nhớ đời đó.

Ra đời và lớn lên tại Bình Dương, ông Mênh kiếm sống bằng nghề chạy xe lam ba bánh, nhưng kiếm được bao nhiêu đều phải trả lãi cho chủ nên kiếp nghèo vẫn ... nghèo.

“Thấy làm ăn khó khăn quá, tui làm thêm nghề ép đậu phộng lấy dầu và mua lá mì làm bột cỏ,” ông kể.

Nhưng cho dù cố gắng đến mấy, hai bàn tay vẫn trắng mà con cái ngày một lớn và nhu cầu ngày một nhiều. Rồi cơ may bỗng dưng xuất hiện và đại gia đình ông bà Mênh được giấy đi Mỹ theo diện con lai.

“Thấy người ta cho đi thì mình đi chứ có biết gì đâu, nhưng mừng còn hơn trúng số,” bà Hạnh nói.

Cơ may lại đến lần nữa khi hai ông bà vừa mới chân ướt chân ráo đến Mỹ lại được chủ tiệm Carmelita’s nhận cho học nghề cắt lông chó có trả lương. “Đầu tiên thì quét giọn lông chó, làm vệ sinh các cũi nhốt chó, chùi rửa bồn tắm chó… làm riếc rồi bà chủ cũng dạy nghề,” bà Hạnh kể lại.

Nhưng khi hỏi rằng tiếng Anh không rành thì học sao được, bà Hạnh trả lời:

“Bởi vậy hai vợ chồng mới học tới bẩy năm, bằng người ta học bác sĩ.”

Tuy nhiên khi học nghề làm đẹp cho thú vật ông bà Mênh mới học được điều khác biệt của văn hóa Mỹ là vì nếu ở Việt Nam, chó mèo được thả rông kể cả phải tự kiếm ăn trong các bãi rác, quán ăn… và nếu xui xẻo còn bị đem làm chả hay nấu rựa mận thì bên Mỹ chó mèo được tôn trọng và cưng như cưng “trứng.”

“Khoảng vài ba tuần, chủ lại mang chó mèo đi tắm rửa, làm vệ sinh toàn bộ. Nhìn thấy họ nâng niu con vật mới thấy họ cưng thú rất nhiều.”

Vì phải tiếp xúc và chuyện trò khi khách mang chó đến làm đẹp, bà Hạnh cho biết rất vất vả khi phải tiếp khách vì chỉ cần khách nói một chữ bà chưa biết là bà không hiểu gì cả.

Chẳng hạn khi khách gọi điện thoại hỏi đường đến cửa tiệm và nói “Where is your location?” thì bà Hạnh hoàn toàn không hiểu gì vì bà chỉ biết chữ address mà thôi cho nên muốn hỏi đường thì phải hỏi “Where is your address?” Bà kể rằng có lần một người khác mang chó đến tắm rửa, tỉa lông nhưng thấy Anh ngữ quá kém của bà Hạnh, người khách mới nêu câu hỏi “Bà nói tiếng Anh không rành thì làm sao tôi tin mà giao chó cho làm,” và bà Hạnh trả lời bằng lối phát âm rất quê hương Việt Nam “Trai oan tai, en yu si,” dịch “Try one time, and you will see” (“Xin hãy thử một lần sẽ biết”).

“Ấy vậy mà người ta giao con chó cho tui làm đó. Người khách này nay trở thành khách quen. Tui tập nghe, nghe riếc rồi quen chớ nào có học hành gì đâu.”

Còn những rủi ro của nghề nghiệp? “Chó bên Mỹ thường hiền nhưng không phải con nào cũng vậy, có con rất hung dữ và xơ hở là nó táp,” ông Mênh nói và giơ cánh tay đầy vết sẹo chó cắn cho xem.

Ông cho biết hồi năm ngoái, cả nhà ông bị một trận xanh mặt khi chủ nhân một con chó già 18 tuổi được đem đến để làm sạch sẽ.

“Con chó già rất ốm yếu, trên mình đầy bọ chét, tụi tui nhận làm nhưng vừa sợ vừa lo, không biết nó có chịu nổi hay không.”

Cái lo đó trở thành thật khi con chó bỗng nhiên lăn đùng ra chết lúc vừa đem vô bồn tắm.

“Hai vợ chồng tui và xấp nhỏ run lên vì sợ hãi nhưng chủ chỉ đến đem xác chó về và nói rằng biết nó sắp chết nên đem nó ra tiệm tắm rửa sạch sẽ cho nó trước khi nó ra đi,” bà Hạnh cho biết.

Thấm thoát gia đình họ Bồ hành nghề “gru-mơ” (groomer) đã 5 năm. Sáng đi tối về, cuối tuần đóng cửa tiệm xả hơi hai ngày Chúa Nhựt, thứ Hai và chưa bao giờ ra khỏi San Jose.

“Ổng không dám ra xa lộ và cũng không biết đường thành ra cũng chỉ biết đi từ cửa hàng về nhà và từ nhà ra chợ suốt từ ngày sang Mỹ tới nay,” bà Hạnh bộc bạch.

Bà nói rằng hồi mới đầu thì ham làm, không biết ngày nghỉ nhưng rồi mới thấy gia đình xum họp cuối tuần là điều cần thiết.

“Dù sao cũng già rồi, nghỉ cho có sức,” ông Mênh nói.

Hỏi cô Bồ Ngọc Diễm, 29 tuổi, con gái thứ tư trong gia đình về công lao động cực nhọc nuôi con ăn học của cha mẹ, cô nhận xét, mắt rướm lệ:

“Công ơn cha mẹ biết ngày nào trả hết.”

          Bài viết được đăng trên Viet Mercury số 282 ngày 18 tháng Sáu, 2004