The FIRST ELECTED U.S. DESPOT -- hopefully the LAST!

Why are we not experiencing thorough revulsion by concerned citizens of this unique democracy as it rapidly crumbles?

And why are we not hearing the loud objections of every member of Congress? Or, a judicial injunction from a federal court bench?

Where are the cries of outrage from the local leaders of cities (other than the few Mayors of Portland, Atlanta and Chicago), especially those cities that may be the next recipients of secret federal police because local authorities are not disrupting and arresting  protesters as comrade Trump thinks they should?   

And where is our Justice Department that is supposed to protect us from attacks upon our Constitution and upon our democratic ideals, rights, and values?

 Where are the mass media with all their commentators, analysts, and investigative reporters?  Can they even dare to call it what it is?

And where, oh where, are those NRA members who profess the prime importance of the Second Amendment guarantee of individual ownership of guns to protect ourselves from an out-of-control central government, out to destroy our rights and freedoms?  Well, here it is in real time – a federal rogue  government sending secret troops into our cities to beat, gas, arrest (kidnap) American citizens off the streets of our cities so they can be deprived of their right to express their grievances through non-violent protests. 

Where are those self-appointed gun-toting saviors of our democratic Republic?  During the Obama administration there was a steady drumbeat of articles, emails, proclamations and statements from think tanks suggesting the 'feds' were about to confiscate all of their  guns and then intern the owners.  Gun sales soared and it was reported that the hard Right even had gun-owners break into military and other federal sites to prove that Obama was in fact hiding confiscated guns and preparing WWII internment-like camps.  They didn't find anything but kept insisting they had to be ready to defend their gun rights against a tyrannical government. This begs a reasonable question as to whether those defenders of the second Amendment are hypocritical lackeys who remain fiercely loyal to a white nationalist tyrant named Trump while he threatens our First Amendment rights of protest and free speech with a secret force of federal employees?  Apparently, those first set of rights are just not as important to gun owners as those of the Second Amendment!  

Has Donald Trump so battered our democracy that only a few even recognize what is happening in Oregon?  (See this Blog’s recognition as early as 11/16/2015). Are we ready and willing to accept the end of our democratic experiment?  Apparently, we are….

for we have accepted many questionable attacks on our system, a few of which include:

·      unqualified and anti-government people placed in top jobs; especially in the judicial system

·      punishment meted out to dedicated professionals who have come forward to testify about government fraud and corruption

·      forced lay-offs and transfers of professional staff to minimized outposts where they are assigned to do meaningless work

·      temporary leaders placed in important positions and sworn to loyalty to Trump

·      collusion with Russia on electing Trump; attempted bribery of Ukraine government to find dirt on political opponent

·      obstruction of justice by refusal to testify or to allow staff to testify before Congress

·      separation of children from their families at out southern border, that included kidnapping and child abuse, as an example to other immigrants not to seek asylum with their children in tow; 

·      misuse of power to prevent critical books from being published

·      misuse of power in drawing diplomats, military, family and others into using Trump properties for official matters (breaking of ‘emoluments’ clause)

·      use of taxpayer dollars for personal gain

·      chummy with enemy states and their leaders like Putin, Kim Jong Un, Erdogan, and more;

·      Helsinki meeting with Putin being the ultimate demonstration of a captured client of a foreign enemy (but not the pinnacle which was yet-to-come)

·      the non-involvement of Trump in punishing Putin for his outrageous offer to pay bounties to Taliban in Afghanistan if they assassinated American soldiers

·      the topper in the realm of tyranny is Trump’s acceptance and use of federal squads of border guards, ICE, Marshals and other federal employees to kidnap protesters off the streets of Portland Oregon, put them in unmarked black SUVs, whisk them away to unknown locations, and never reveal who they are or why they are there – they just do what they want under the guise of protecting federal property – a complete ruse for this political skulduggery.  

WE NOW FIND AN APPARENT ACCEPTANCE OF A SECRET FEDERAL POLICE FORCE ON THE STREETS OF AN AMERICAN CITY WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES TO THAT DESPOTIC ACTION.   IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE: IT MUST BE OPPOSED AND UNDONE!

Mayor Bottoms of Atlanta and Mayor Lightfoot of Chicago may be next to have such troops assigned to their streets and they are apparently ready to resist.  How we cannot be sure but utilizing their own police forces was mentioned in a recent interview.  If it comes to that, we may have to realize that another Civil WAR-type Action has begun.  This time between police forces, not states.  But one cannot easily predict how this will come out. 

I believe that what Trump has done is the ultimate act of his moving us toward the end of this great representative democracy ("de-construction").  It will culminate in an election, the negative results of which he will not accept.  He is already preparing for that by means of this camouflaged federal force answerable only to him as commander-in-chief and Executive Branch manager. 

He is preparing to declare a" fixed illegal election" and to maintain himself in the Oval Office behind the Resolute Desk.  Moving out would represent a defeat that he cannot abide.

Headline in NYT: “TRUMP TO SEND FEDERAL TROOPS INTO CHICAGO”

That’s it folks – the probable end of our experiment in representative democracy unless someone stops him.  Good Luck, Mayor Lightfoot.  May the rest of Chicago's concerned citizens decide to support their Mayor by a mammoth protest to

REJECT TRUMP  – The FIRST U.S DESPOT!

,   

TRUMP Will LIE and CHEAT to Win in November

With all that is happening in relation to the Trump “brand” – including critical books by John Bolton, Eddie Glaude and Mary Trump, along with the many polls favorable to Joe Biden plus the Charlie Cook forecast of a Democratic Tsunami in 2020 – the mainstream media is long on commentary regarding Trump’s falling chances in the Nov. 3, 2020 election.  They seem to believe that his “brand” may be damaged enough to result in shrinkage of his base of voters.  They also indicate that Trump has not done enough to broaden that base which could result in losses in states that he won in 2016 by narrow margins.    All of which could turn-out to be true.  On the other hand, maybe not….

Could the mainstream media be missing some factors that proved to be effective in 2016 and to some extent since then?  Could they be minimizing the role Russians played in the 2016 election along with lately ignoring the findings of the Mueller Report?  Could they be minimizing the shenanigans of voter suppression, or the flaws of the voting process?  That is exactly what happened in 2016 and could be happening again.  The Democrats thought they had it won for sure in 2016, but it turned out quite the opposite. 

Mary Trump’s book should bring us all back to who Donald Trump is and therefore what he will do about the coming Election.  Contrary to what some commentators have expressed in the media, I must disagree that the key to this election is an expansion of his base. 

Yes, he will continue to play to his base to convince them that he is in charge and is an “everyman” who pulled himself up by his own bootstraps; that he is one of them who will fight for their interests. But he will not be putting any great energy into expanding his base in order to win.  He needs that base to continue to receive a cult-like loyalty to him (without which he cannot function) and to support his efforts to undermine democratic values so that he can further establish an authoritarian government dependent upon and responsible to him, and him alone. He will keep about 40-43% as a base, and then have to look elsewhere. And that is why his Ukraine-gate happened – he was looking elsewhere for help to win, and that is what he will do for 2020.

In my opinion, he will do what he has always done: he will cheat and lie to win a battle that he considers to be a war.  As his niece, Mary Trump, indicated: he practices bullying and cheats "as a way of life."   For Donald, in Mary's telling, "lying was primarily a mode of self-aggrandizement meant to convince other people he was better than he actually was.“  It’s what sociopaths do: “they co-opt others and use them toward their own ends — ruthlessly and efficiently, with no tolerance for dissent or resistance." 

Here is what I believe he will be concentrating on over the next 115+ days that are left before the Election:
1. FOREIGN INTERFERENCE.  He has already invited foreign powers to intervene in our national election: Russia, by not doing anything to punish or restrict  their hackers and saboteurs; China, by more direct invitation, and perhaps other nations led by his "bosom buddies."  And where does the Ukraine stand?  Rudy Giuliani didn’t stay in the Ukraine just for fun – he was looking for dirt on the Biden's, but what else might he have been doing?
NBC claimed in 2019 that “Trump and his close allies have suggested that foreign intervention in domestic politics is a normal course of business.”  "There’s nothing wrong with taking information from Russians," Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer, said on CNN in April 2019.
Trump has demonstrated that “normality” more than once as he attempted interference with military aid to Ukraine; supported Boris Johnson in England for Prime Minister and expressed his opposition to Prime Minister May’s proposal for Brexit; he also strongly supported movement of the capital of Israel to Jerusalem.  Just a few examples of his on-going attitude that interference in other governments is normal and acceptable.
It should not be surprising, then,  that he has invited other nations to interfere here since, if he can undo the norm that U.S. presidents do not interfere with other nation’s conduct of governance, he can make such interference a norm of behavior here; as he has done. Hacking has already been detected on the part of Iran and China  (see my Blog of  8/28 /2019 to get an idea of the covert activity happening between the 2016 election and August 1, 2019).
After all, cheating to win against perceived foes is one of his character traits pointed out by Mary Trump and several other biographers like David Cay Johnston.  We must not allow foreign countries to interfere with our elections.  Sanctions, dismissal of some diplomats, counter-attack on their computer systems, and gathering a coalition of nations to make life miserable for any country that dares to attack our cyberspace, constitute a few possible reactions.  But none of this will happen while Trump is president and the Senate is controlled by the Trumpian Republican Party.   Nonetheless, CONGRESS needs to hear from you on foreign interference. 

 2.  COVID 19 as a tool.  One way to lower the vote in a covert way and to keep some voters away from the polls entirely is to use the coronavirus crisis to gain an advantage:
⦁ Cast doubt on the science about the virus; the truth from Dr. Fauci, the CDC and its guidelines, and the credibility of Democratic Governors
⦁ Ignore the effects of the virus and lessen the work of the Task Force to combat it
⦁ Put the economy out front as most important to re-open – saving  business over saving lives
⦁ Ignore health guidelines and make them appear to be tools of an over-zealous and dictatorial-like government (mostly State and local)
⦁ Open the schools to increase the effect of the virus on children who can then pass it to their voter parents and relatives 

I believe that Trump now sees this virus as a possible ally which is why he walked away from those White House briefings -- because no matter what happens with the numbers (and his “brand”), he knows that he can discount some votes against him as it spreads to all age and ethnic groups.  Its devastation is growing and for Trump that means that some opposition voter strength is diminishing. 

Now, of course Trump can't pitch it this way; it would brand him as one who subjugates persons to votes, and tempt some to call him at least 'uncaring,' if not a "killer."  But the Donald has already demonstrated that basic flaw of lacking empathy and sympathy.  He has already made it plain that the "numbers" of new cases and deaths need to be "softened" or de-emphasized.  Why is it such a stretch to move to seeing numbers of cases and deaths as restricting some potential Biden votes, especially since he cannot have missed the finding that Afro-Americans and Hispanic/Latino Americans have passed away at more rapid rates than whites? 

3. VOTER SUPPRESSION.  Ignoring this specious tool has already cost Democrats some vital elections, including Hillary Clinton for President and Stacey Abrams for Governor of Georgia (where 1.5 million people were removed from voter rolls over a period of 2012-2016).
Suppression is done by:
⦁ passing complicated ID laws on state and local levels, rejecting reform measures and passing laws that allow voter rolls to be “purged” of people who haven’t voted for an arbitrary time or some other equally arbitrary reason; getting rid of more and more elections offices or having them open at inconvenient hours; reducing the number of polling places and making voters wait for hours in long lines, etc.
⦁ making sure that universal voting-by-mail never sees the light of day; reducing voter ability to obtain absentee ballots; processing mail-in ballots so that some get “lost”
⦁ Machines – keeping and using outdated machines with outdated software so that machines break down or function poorly/sporadically; frustrating voters enough to have them leave without casting a ballot; and, having machines that do not have a paper ballot back-up for recounts.  “ It seems likely that voters in five states will vote in November exclusively on electronic ballot machines that don't provide a paper trail. Congress allocated $380 million earlier this year for states to bolster their election security, but many experts believe it is not nearly enough money.”

“The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine listed replacing electronic voting machines with paper-based systems by 2020 as its first recommendation in a report on the future of voting the organization released last month.” (https://www.npr.org/2018/09/17/647420970/npr-marist-poll-1-in-3-americans-think-foreign-country-will-change-midterm-votes)

⦁ Make registration to vote as cumbersome as possible, especially for minorities and those living with poverty
⦁ Draw districts that give advantage to one Party or the other; or districts that clump certain voter groups and thus restrict the number of districts they might influence by their votes
"The most egregious example of race-based gerrymandering detailed...pertains to a controversial voting line running through the center of the historically black North Carolina A&T State University, splitting the college’s minority population into two separate voting districts. The district line running through North Carolina A&T State divided the minority voting population with such precision that it “all but guarantees” both districts will remain under Republican representation for the foreseeable future."  (Lawandcrime.com)
⦁ Take the vote away from felons and other incarcerated persons.

Americanprogress.com comments as follows: “Each election cycle, untold numbers of eligible Americans are prevented from voting due to barriers in the voter registration process, restrictions on casting ballots, and discriminatory and partisan-rigged district maps. Voter suppression measures can differ by state and even by individual county. And while some voter suppression measures actively seek to discriminate against certain groups, others result from innocent administrative errors and glitches. Regardless of its form or intent, however, voter suppression is relentlessly effective in preventing voting-eligible Americans from contributing to the electoral process.” (Check out this link for details and suggested reforms:  https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/democracy)

4.  PUBLIC NOTICES/PUBLICITY.  Make public notices as confusing as possible.
⦁ Even consider sending some that give false or misleading information/messages to voters
⦁ Use social media to publish memes favoring Trump and painting all Democrats as socialists, obstructionists, do-nothing legislators, and corrupt politicians
⦁ Use local paper Opinion pages to print conspiracy theories, made-up stories and provocative news about candidates and their plans and policies

5. TARGET the DISTRICTS that will win the most votes in a state for Trump just as done in 2016
⦁ There are about 30 districts that made the difference in the Electoral College vote – they must be won again if Trump is to pull off an upset
⦁ Get 3rd party PAC money to those districts to bombard them with Trump ads and finger-pointing ads aimed at Biden (already happening!)
⦁ Recruit more Volunteers who can help to activate and motivate Trump voters

6. CULTURE WARS - continue the heavy barrage of attacks on Democrats and protesters; tie them together
⦁ as revolutionaries
⦁ destructive of business and property
⦁ baby killers
⦁ anarchists

7. Never mind plans and policy – tell people what you need and want them to hear; not necessarily the truth about reality.  Trump speaks in a language that produces desired reactions in his followers and in some who stand apart from political parties.  It is not worthwhile for him to discuss plans and policies, not only because he doesn’t have any of worth, but because his followers are not attuned to anything more than the cultural biases, myths and beliefs with which they were nurtured. 

If Trump talks about people who wrong him, they applaud because they also want to take such people down in their lives.

If he fumes about fake news and hoaxes and personal prejudice and persecution against him, his followers applaud because they too feel personally diminished by others in their life sphere.

If he rants about the press, the media, the protesters, the swamp of Washington DC or the “deep state," they applaud because they know in their set of biases that government and protesters are not to be trusted

As we conclude this post today, the question before us has probably been affected somewhat by the 7/9/2020 Supreme Court decision indicating clearly (7-2) that there is no such thing as absolute immunity for the president or any other person in our form of governance.  No one is above the law, and no president can claim absolute immunity from turning over documents requested by a grand jury.

TRUMP has already tweeted that this decision is a hoax and that it constitutes “personal prosecutorial harassment.”  But, it also preserves and reinforces the independence and balance required within our constitutional democracy. This historic SCOTUS decision and vote must be considered a factor in Trump’s campaign for a second term.  He may use it as another example of government problems and power; or, indeed, he could use it to help him in making an exit and refusing to run again.  We can only hope...

Should he maintain his present decision to run again (and I believe he will), let us be clear about what he will be doing: HE WILL BE TRYING TO WIN BY REDUCING THE POSSIBLE VOTES FOR JOE BIDEN!  He will spend little time or money running on his record or his plans or expanding his base (although he will do all to some degree).  He will spend most of his efforts on winning by undermining Joe Biden and his family and putting into practice overt and covert operations that will reduce the vote available to Joe Biden. 

And so, we have to say to Democrats – do not make the mistakes made so often by Democrats unaware of the power of negative campaign practices.
⦁ Joe Biden’s strongest message is about family, unity, empathy, working together, taking care of one another.  The value of respect and dignity cannot be undersold.
⦁ Keeping policy plans brief and simple is the only way to escape the mistake of over-zealousness on matters of public policy.  The juxta-positioning of policy and issues up against Trump practices may be a way to emphasize their importance without over-selling programs.
⦁ Keep referring to detailed plans and give people the location (and the link) on the Internet, but don’t give them in detail in a public speech unless the venue or the occasion calls for such..
⦁ Get busy in those districts that made such a difference in 2016; plus, research several ways to get to 270 electoral votes and make sure we have at least thee paths to get there

To be clear:  do not forget what Donald Trump is doing: reducing the vote going to Joe Biden.  Therefore, the crux of this election is not the current polls showing Trump down by double digits.  Counting on That is the primrose path to destruction as it was in 2016. 

If Democrats fail to counter the negative tactics: the foreign interference, the attempts to stop voting by mail, the improper placement and processing associated with polling places, fraudulent ballot receiving and ballot counting; 

If Democrats fail in the fixing and upgrading of voting machines and expanded examination of them just before Election Day (or early voting period), vetting or checking poll watchers and poll overseers, making provision for many polls (or conveniently centered large voting arenas); 

[It might not hurt for progressive groups to get an ACLU member or civil rights lawyer to accompany them to local council meetings, to Boards of Election Commissioners, not just to assess  and criticize, but to offer help by recruiting volunteers for them if they have that need because of short staff].

If Democrats and progressives do not PAY ATTENTION to the negative campaign tricks from Trump and counter them, we could see another surprise of devastating consequences in November.  We still need the ground game (texting, phoning, canvassing, etc.), but this election is also about containing and countering the Trumpian lying and cheating that will be non-stop this year.

STAY POSITIVE BUT DON”T FORGET to fight attempts by Trump and his minions to steal this election.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

ADDENDUM

Five more Examples of abusive Trump words and/or behaviors before November 2016 that we should have noticed much more than we did: [Thanks to article in HuffPost, June 16, 2016]

⦁ July 18, 2015 - Trump didn’t serve in the Vietnam War, thanks to a series of deferments. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) did — and spent five excruciating years in captivity, frequently enduring torture, after the North Vietnamese shot down his plane. So what does Trump say about the senator’s service during an appearance in Iowa? “He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.”
⦁ Aug. 7, 2015 - For many Americans, this was the first exposure to Trump’s predilection for…making denigrating comments about women. The day after a Fox News debate in which co-moderator Megyn Kelly asked Trump about misogynist things he had said in the past, the candidate called in to CNN and offered a theory on why Kelly was putting forward such tough questions: “You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes. Blood coming out of her — wherever.”
⦁ Sept. 9, 2015 - Trump has a long history of judging women by their appearances and mocking those who don’t live up to his standards. While sitting for an interview with Rolling Stone and watching video of a previous Republican presidential debate, Trump turned his attention to ⦁ Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO and rival for the GOP nomination: “Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president?
Sept. 9, 2015 - Probably no moment of the campaign has been as singularly creepy as Trump, in that same Rolling Stone interview, talking about his daughter Ivanka: “Yeah, she’s really something, and what a beauty, that one. If I weren’t happily married and, ya know, her father...”
⦁   Dec. 7, 2015 - Trump emailed a statement to the press, then read it aloud (referring to himself in the third person) during a campaign appearance in South Carolina. “Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on,” it read.
⦁ June 3, 2016 - The personal attacks. The contempt for political norms. The denigration of immigrants. It’s all there in Trump’s commentary on U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who presided over lawsuits against Trump University.Curiel was born in Indiana; previously, as a prosecutor, he risked his life while pursuing Mexican drug cartels. But Curiel’s parents immigrated from Mexico and that, Trump stated, means the judge cannot rule in the Trump University lawsuits fairly.Trump: "I've been treated very unfairly by this judge. Now, this judge is of Mexican heritage. I'm building a wall, OK? I'm building a wall
Trump: "Well, he's a member of a society, where -- you know, very pro-Mexico, and that's fine."
Trump: "We are building a wall. He's a Mexican. We're building a wall between here and Mexico. The answer is, he is giving us very unfair rulings, rulings that people can't even believe." (original CNN transcript)
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) called Trump’s criticism of Curiel “the textbook definition of a racist comment.” Newt Gingrich, former speaker and Republican presidential candidate, said it was “one of the worst mistakes Trump has made.”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

TRUMP THREATENS HIS OWN FOLLOWERS!

Trump supporters need to take a moment to consider the serious nature of what Donald Trump is about to do right now -  June 20, 2020 - in Tulsa OK.  Those supporters are about to become the indirect targets and collateral damage brought about by the all-out efforts of Donald J. Trump to ignore the warnings of scientists and health professionals in favor of holding a political Rally.  And, this isn’t the first time that Trump has concocted and acted on events and activities that threaten the well-being of his followers and others.

Trump’s failure to act on COVID19 containment, his trashing of NATO, his threats and attacks on women, minorities and immigrants, along with his lack of action on voter suppression, police brutality and institutionalized racism – all of these actions have the potential to do some collateral damage to his supporters and allies.  

To say that Trump supporters are short-sighted would be a nice way of putting it.  Are they “his people?” Not if you look at his record of cheating and non-payment of contractors and workers or his use of illegal immigrants on his properties, or the people he entertains at his ‘luxury’ properties (rarely any from the working class).  How about his supposed on-line “university?”  How many “followers” were cheated by that fake?  and how much did they lose to his scheme?

How about that threat to send illegal immigrants to sanctuary cities in large groups to give those cities a taste of the criminality he has ascribed to those immigrants?  Would a president who cares about a certain group of voters even consider sending criminal types among his supporters with the express purpose of penalizing all those who lived in those cities?  His followers were not to be protected by him in any way.

And right now, Trump is about to repeat that disregard for his followers in Tulsa (and others in that state and nearby states) inviting them to a mass rally that will be made up mostly of supporter attendees who have been brainwashed not to wear masks, maintain social distancing or take any other coronavirus caution.  Having given themselves over to the politicizing of these practices, they miss the main point.  This president has invited his followers to risk their lives to cheer him on.  Think not? then why do attendees have to sign a release/waiver that releases the Trump administration from any law suits or damages in connection with anyone who contracts the virus.  In other words, ‘Trumpers’ are being invited to gamble their lives for this president, and if the worst happens and they are killed by this virus, they lose life and their survivors cannot do a thing about it. 

That release/waiver is proof that this fake president doesn’t care one bit about his followers.  He is interested only in his own re-election, not in their welfare. 

Some of the 19.000 attendees expected at this Rally will become ill with the virus (at worst, perhaps 1 in 5 or 20% = or about 3,800), and some will die (even 1.5% = 190 people).  It is inevitable.  And, it is tragic. We already know that six of his advance staff for this event have tested positive for the virus!   But, Donald Trump does not care! He only cares about turning out a substantial number of followers who will cheer him on!

TO THOSE NOW ASSEMBLING IN TULSA, THE CORONAVIRUS AWAITS YOU!

And, don’t forget his threat to peaceful protesters expected at this Rally.  In warning them about being roughed-up if they cause trouble, he is saying to all of us (even his followers) that our rights depend upon him, not on the Constitution.  Another warning to followers: they are not immune from that kind of despotism; it will find them and it will assault them when they least expect it.  Trump cannot be trusted.

In like manner, Trump seems not to care about one hundred twenty-thousand persons (he has characterized it as a “small number”) who have died from the virus throughout this country.  His fumbling, bumbling approach to this pandemic has more than established his attitude toward his so-called “base” and the rest of us.  Had he acted more quickly to declare a national emergency and to act in accord with that declaration, tens of thousands of lives might have been saved. 

Now, the virus is making a resurgence in states that ‘re-opened’ without adequate guidelines, practices, equipment and PPE.  By walking away from the crisis and thereby claiming it is over, in essence, Trump has once again ignored the protection of his followers among thousands of others.  He has abandoned his “people” and they don’t even know it.  But, they will, because Red states are not doing well.  The rate of infection and the death rate, as well as hospitalization is rising quickly, as was warned by scientific experts whom Trump and his cult followers do not care to comprehend let alone heed.  He has given up, and his followers are not protected.

At the same time, the Trump cultists are ignoring another threat to their lives and well-being.  The John Bolton book apparently will speak to this in terms that make it perfectly clear.  Trump is a threat to our national security.  And that means that we are as a nation and a people in a dangerous situation.  Trump supporters are included in being affected by that danger.  They will not be protected.

To put it succinctly:  all of us - including Trump followers - are being put in danger by a president who is alienating our long-time allies, and playing the fool for certain dictators of the world.  He has pushed NATO to the breaking point over “member dues” and at the same time shown himself to be a worshipper of Putin (Russia), Il Jong Un (N. Korea), Erdogan (Turkey), Xi Jinping (China), to name a few. 

By inviting at least Russia, Ukraine and China to meddle in our elections to keep him in office, Trump has gone beyond the constitution and his oath.  But what he has done is to once again lump his supporters with others to sabotage our sovereign right to have our votes cast and counted fairly.  Fixed elections by outside forces do not protect any particular group.  It threatens us all with loss of our right to vote. For instance, if a Trump supporter votes for someone locally who does not quite meet Trump agenda, a hacked and electronically-altered machine can be programmed to switch one’s vote at any level to someone intent upon upsetting the agenda one originally had in mind.  Such hacking of our voting system does not discern political party.  It is programmed solely to alter votes.  Thus, a Trump supporter can lose a vote just like anyone else.  And Donald Trump has made no provision to call these foreign hackers to account.  Nor has he launched counter-measures

Elections subverted by foreign forces constitute a threat to everybody.  Trump cultists are not exempt!  Besides, since when did they decide that being manipulated by Putin or Xi Jinping was in their best interest?  Trump has ceded control to the very ones he has solicited to intervene.  That ability to control U.S. voters will not be forfeited anytime soon as long as Trump plays the puppet.

Maybe one more example will serve to illuminate the fact that this president puts his needs above the needs of his followers.  Once again, it is his desire to enhance his numbers and ego while not giving a damn about the well-being of others.  Surely, Trump’s flirtation (more like obsession) with medical prescription is not lost in all the news since.  Recall for a moment:

Trump suggested that there are ways to beat this virus:  try ingesting some disinfectant that tends to kill 99.9% of germs on tabletops and other surfaces. Apparently some tried it, although searching such statistics produces few reliable results.  But let it stand for what it is:  Trump once again invited followers to lose their lives with no provisions made to rescue anyone from this form of suicide.

Then, attempting to top himself and to look “right” about another preventative measure he had hinted at in one of his so-called Task Force reports, he went further to claim that he (and many, many front-line caretakers) was taking a malaria medicine known as hydroxychloroquine and it was working well for him.  His own scientists and others made it plain that this medicine could cause fatal heart arrhythmia and other serious side effects such as retinal damage.  In spite of these warnings, Trump recommended its use to his base and others.  Once again, he invited voters and his supporters to take a chance with their health and possibly their lives, essentially committing suicide.  No special exemption or coverage for anyone has been offered, whether a supporter or not.

At the center of all this nonsense and chaos is none other than the living, breathing symbol of defiance and authoritarian government: the wannabe King, Donald J. Trump.  What he has wrought in this scary time is exactly the opposite of what is required.  He is so incompetent that he doesn’t even know how to act to protect his followers from his threats and bungles.

To continue this theme, I would like to conclude this Blog in an unusual way: by providing a list of behaviors, theories, conspiracies, and activities that have been put forth by this fake president but that do not meet the tests of humaneness, decency, fairness, equality and concern that should characterize a real POTUS. 

Thus, from now until Nov. 3, 2020, at the end of every Blog posting, I will attach a brief list of at least five of Trump’s past and present blunders, threats, attacks, tweets, etc. that reveal the pattern of abuse, neglect and incompetence exhibited by this so-called president.

Today’s list of five covers the year 2016 before his electoral victory, to indicate what his voters were buying with their votes.  Too bad they didn’t pay more attention, so they could have avoided the fall-out that is coming their way!

Trump threats and bungles in 2015- 2016:

1)     May 27, 2015 – Continuing to build on the debunked “birther” conspiracy, Donald Trump said Barack Obama could have claimed Kenya as his birthplace for special treatment from colleges. Trump said, “There are three things that could happen. And one of them did happen. He was perhaps born in Kenya.”

2)     June 16, 2015 – In his speech announcing his candidacy for President of the United States, Donald Trump said, “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re sending people that have lots of problems. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” “I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall.”

3)     October 7, 2016 – In the 2005 Access Hollywood tape, Donald Trump bragged to Billy Bush about grabbing women by their genitals without consent. In the video published by the Washington Post, Trump said, “I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it, you can do anything.”

4)     2016 – during the year, at least 20 women came forth to accuse Trump of sexual harassment, an impeachment charge that was leveled by a Republican Congress against President Clinton in 1998.

5)     November 18, 2016 – One week after Trump’s election, 100 foreign diplomats gathered at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. to drink champagne and tour the building. This indicated a conflict of interest that could have violated the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution, which forbids our government officials from accepting “any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.”  

THE SECOND VIRAL ATTACK

In the middle of the chaos engendered by COVID19, we have found ourselves presented with another viral attack.                         

The virulent epidemic of violent Racism arose again, this time in Minneapolis, awakening protests that spread throughout this nation and the world.  The killing of black men by white men for no reason other than color appears in this nation’s entire history over at least a 240+ year period, and perhaps longer (since 1619?).  As he was being asphyxiated by a rogue policeman, George Floyd gasped “I Can’t Breathe” much the same as Eric Garner had done in Staten Island 6 years earlier. 

It has become more than a cry for personal help – it has become the angry cry of an historically oppressed and repressed people – the protestation of a beleaguered, disrespected people-- speaking to all of us – echoing across the centuries-- reminding us of an immense truth: the loss of the inalienable rights of one human or of one human group threatens to bring the same loss to everyone.  Therefore, we must support each other when rights are violated.    That is what we are witnessing as multiracial protests continue throughout our land and in other cities of the world.

History is happening before our eyes.  Not only is a pandemic viral attack taking place that puts us at the mercy of a corona virus, but we are clearly witnessing the bending of the long arm of Justice toward greater equality.  Reform is in the air and on the streets, confronted by forces of oppression that have always been a part of our history in this country.  Because events have moved so quickly that I have had some difficulty keeping up, I can do no little more than to comment on what stood out today and for several days past, letting you in on a sort of stream-of-consciousness related to these historic events.

1)      Protest and Dissent are as American as apple pie.  It is a first amendment right and was the very tactic used by our forefathers to oppose and to throw off the oppressive British yoke that was choking their efforts to produce a just and prosperous colonial presence – and eventually an independent country.

• The protests involve a new generation stepping up to declare some things that need to be said, and giving very serious attention to things that must change.  They said it before about gun violence; about LGBTQ rights and now in regard to Civil Rights; more particularly the rights of African Americans.  They are again saying: ENOUGH is ENOUGH!  The justice system must change!
• Those who fault these protestors for violence, claiming they are organized by revolutionaries on the Left or Fascists on the Right to burn and loot, are nowhere near the essence -- the true nature -- of this Movement.  They are definitely living in the wrong Time Zone.
• And, by the way, those voices who blame the majority of protestors for the violence have no right to make such judgments until they are working to rid our society of the injustices that violently disrupt the dreams and lives of persons of color.  As The Rev. Al Sharpton said in his eulogy for George Floyd: violence extends to the denial of good healthcare, housing, education, environmental cleanliness, and especially equal justice.  It’s something like what that prophet (some called him ‘Messiah’) had in mind when he declared to the law & order folks of his day “don’t point out the speck in someone else’s eye until you tend to the mote in your own.” (loosely translated)

2) It is the violence – and the acceptance and protection of violence -- within police forces of this country that is at issue here.  As well, it is the violence against black men in particular that is at the forefront of the protests.  There is a pervasive sense that there are two standards of justice: one for white folks and a separate system for black and brown men (and women).  That was evident in the case of George Floyd and in many similar cases just in the past 6 months referred to so forcefully in the list enumerated by the Floyd family’s Attorney at the celebration of George’s life.

• What do these protestors want?  That question needs an answer, and not a few veteran protest leaders and others from the Civil Rights Movement have been saying that the hardest part lies ahead in making change happen.  Barack Obama and Congressman John Lewis talking a bit about protesting and organizing, and how they must complement each other.  Others, like former UN ambassador, Andrew Young, spoke of his concern about leadership at the next step of bringing about change.
• Hopefully, the young leaders will not forget to call on their elders who actually brought substantial remedies to some of the abuses that were so glaring and were strangling the black communities all over the country in other eras.  Don’t forget the victories in the 1960’s represented in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965; the Office of Economic Opportunity, the Legal Services Corporation, and so on. (See my blog on reviving the Kerner Commission Report of 1968 at 12/7/2014 and that on Sir Robert Peel and his fundamental policing principles of mid-19^th century England at 8/17/2014)
• So where does the Movement go from here?  I would suggest that the protests should continue with very specific goals and outcomes in mind.  Congress, and more particularly the cowardly, violence-supporting, afraid-of- truth-and-justice Republicans need to feel the censure of crowds of protestors for their inaction, their repressive and abusive bills that ignore the special needs of the most vulnerable among us, as well as those who need relief right now from that other virus- COVID19. Most of all, do-nothing members of Congress need to feel strong opposition to their positions on issues that are harming, hurting and strangling the working families in this country.
• Specifically, it might not be a bad idea to begin by picking up where the Obama administration left off. Did you know that President Obama left a full Report for the Trump administration on 21^st century policing with suggestions for improvements? Of course, Trump shelved it and ignored it, right along with his disregard for the Obama report on handling of a viral pandemic!
• Here are some excerpts from the October 2015 Obama report on “21^st Century Policing” that just might be worthy of some consideration for “what comes next?” (underlining is mine)

RECOMMENDATION 1.1:  Law enforcement culture should embrace a guardian mindset to build public trust and legitimacy. 

Comment:  if it is not clear to America by now, it will have to be brought home time and again – police departments are not military units fighting a war with community members.  They are not troops deployed on city “battlegrounds.”  They are not warriors fighting a war with military equipment and tactics against community members.  It is incredibly discouraging to observe on television that police individuals and units could not even restrain their violence and militarism in front of the cameras. Watching Buffalo NY police knock a 75-year-old man to the cement sidewalk, and then leaving him there bleeding profusely from his head made this viewer shutter in disgust.  As one commentator lamented: “so many police are so immersed in this warrior culture that they can’t help themselves”.

And here are a few action steps from the report that need national attention:

o   Involve employees and the public in formulating policies and procedures

o   Establish a culture of transparency and accountability:

o   Make all department policies available for public review

• Regularly post on department website information about stops, summonses, arrests, reported crimes, and other data aggregated by demographics
• When serious incidents occur, including alleged police misconduct, communicate swiftly with citizens, openly and neutrally

RECOMMENDATION 1.5:  Proactively promote public trust by initiating positive non-enforcement activities to engage communities that have high rates of investigative and enforcement involvement

RECOMMENDATION 1.6: Annual community surveys, standardized across jurisdictions, to measure how policing affects public trust

RECOMMENDATION 1.8:  Create a workforce that represents a broad range of diversity including race, language, gender, life experience and background

• Recognize and celebrate successful agencies in promoting diversity (and other matters)
• Consider discretionary federal funding for departments that make improvement efforts

RECOMMENDATION 2.2:  Agencies should have policies on training for use of force that should emphasize de-escalation and alternatives to arrest or summons, where appropriate

• These policies should mandate external and independent investigations in cases of police use of force resulting in death, officer involved shootings resulting in injury or death, or in custody deaths
• Agencies should establish Serious Incident Review Boards comprised of sworn staff and community members to review cases involving officer-involved shootings and other serious incidents…in order to identify any administrative supervisory, training, tactical or policy issues to be addressed

RECOMMENDATION 2.7:  Agencies should create policies and procedures for policing mass demonstrations that employ …managed tactical resources designed to minimize the appearance of a military operation, and avoid using provocative tactics and equipment that undermine civilian trust

RECOMMENDATION 2.8:  Some form of civilian oversight is important to help strengthen trust with the community.

It is my opinion that it is this latter concept that is an important key to a turn-around of many of our governmental structures.  Civilian oversight (and partnership) is skewed and often missing in our ‘representative democracy’ because we have taken “representation” in several erroneous directions, i.e. special privileges, exemptions, attention to sponsors rather than constituents, and acting without input from those represented (read further by looking at “Representation” posting at 2/26/2017).

Unlike the coronavirus, the Racism virus does discriminate, always picking out those with dark skin.  Like the COVID19, no cure (or vaccination) is currently available, but both can be partially controlled and reduced in terms of their devastating effects by following certain standards and applying certain rules and values. 

However, that can only happen if people care about each other, believe in each other, trust each other, encourage each other, respect each other and follow common sense rules and standards that can protect and enhance one another.

It is much like in a family where such standards and values are the foundation for caring family interactions, loving relationships, a sense of identity and protection of one another.  

It’s now time that “police service” be built not on “battlegrounds” but in families and neighborhoods and communities.  While one of those services may of necessity be law enforcement, that should be focused on the small percentage of people who choose to live outside the law and not used to harass others by means of racial profiling.  If we don’t change our perceptions and our language, we will not change the atmosphere and the attitudes of war and militarism that now appear to control our major metropolitan police departments.

This does not mean that all police are bad cops, but it does mean that there is an atmosphere and modus operandi that pervades the work environment helping to determine how an individual acts or reacts. For instance, the on-going protection provided by police unions for members of the force who are known from numerous civilian complaints to be abusive and overly militaristic has to stop.  It is not the function of unions to protect members who abuse and harm other people.  That is nothing but a denial of what union brother/sisterhood is about, and equates to unions protecting criminal behavior in some cases. 

From Minnesota via the New York Times comes this Breaking News:

“After more than a week of protests against police brutality and unrest that left parts of the city burned, a growing chorus of elected officials, civic leaders and residents in Minneapolis are urging the city to break up the Police Department and reimagine the way policing works.

‘We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department,’ Jeremiah Ellison, a member of the City Council, said on Twitter this week. ‘And when we’re done, we’re not simply gonna’ glue it back together,’ he added. ‘We are going to dramatically rethink how we approach public safety and emergency response.’ Minneapolis is not the only city asking the question. Across the country, calls to defund, downsize or abolish police departments are gaining new traction.”

 The season of scrutiny and accountability has begun, and any local police authority that doesn’t seriously examine its mission, purposes, standards, protocols, policies and procedures—and the terms it uses to describe its guardian services—could end up regretting the kind of publicity and attention brought upon it. 

Envision what can be and should be; then organize to make it happen!