Tag: donald-trump

Fascist Manifesto

As I see it, The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 combines a Fascist Manifesto and Procrustean bed.  I cannot bring myself to read this right-wing screed.  My impression and understanding draw on admittedly limited sources.

Fascist derives from “fasces.”  In the Roman Empire, “magistrate” or magistrates were the highest government officials.  Their symbol of office was a bundle of rods wrapped with ribbon, holding an ax head, a “fasces.”  As carriers of the law, magistrates’ words were final.  (Older Americans may recall fasces on the obverse of our Winged Liberty Head dime.)

Merriam Webster defines Fascism as,
“a populist political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) which exalts nation and often race over the individual, that is associated with a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, and that is characterized by severe economic and social regimentation and by forcible oppression of opposition.”

A Manifesto is,
“a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, notions, or views of its issuer.”

Wikipedia explains the genesis and function of a Procrustean bed:
“In Greek mythology Procrustes   .  .  .  was a rogue smith and bandit from Attica who attacked people by stretching them or cutting off their legs, so as to force them to fit the size if an iron bed.

The word Procrustean is thus used by analogy to describe, for example, situations where an arbitrary standard is used to measure success, while completely disregarding obvious harm that results from the effort.”

Project 2025 would strap all Americans into it’s ultra-right-wing Procrustean bed.  They alone have the truth, and the rest of us will damn-well live according to it!

The Fascist creed was articulated by M*A*S*H’s major Frank Burns,
“The way I see it, if we all don’t march in step, if we don’t do as we’re told, if we don’t follow our leaders blindly, there’s no hope of saving our freedom!”

Nazis had Mein Kampf.  The Heritage Foundation has Project 2025.

Ironically, determined to impose Project 2025 on all Americans, far-right Fascists believe that some dark, left wing, cabal, Antifa, anti-Fascist, is working to force its values on everyone.

This is not so.  Perhaps to its detriment vis-à-vis conservativism, Antifa has no organization, no structure, no manifesto.  There are no card-carrying Antifains.  Anti-Fascists share a gut level, conviction that, so long as we do not harm others, Americans enjoy unalienable rights to believe and act according to our unique values and beliefs; however bizarre and incomprehensible those values and beliefs may be to others.

Antifa is not intent on destroying American democracy.

Antifa is the bedrock of American democracy.

Madman in the Oval Office

President Donald J. Trump has lost his mind!  Three recent examples:

One:
Introducing Jerome Powell as his pick for Federal Reserve Chair,
November 7, 2017, President Trump said,
“As President there are few decisions more important than appointment of leaders of integrity and good judgement to hold trusted positions.  .  .  and few of those positions are more important that Chairman of the Federal Reserve.

Accordingly, it is my pleasure and my honor to announce the appointment of Jerome Powell to be the next Chairman of the Federal Reserve.  Congratulations, Jay.  .  .  .

I am confident that Jay has the wisdom and leadership to guide our economy through any challenges that our great economy may face.”

President Trump, July 16, 2025, walked back his praise for Powell and—surprise, surprise—blamed Joe Biden!

I think (Powell) does a terrible job.  .  .  .  He’s a terrible Fed Chair.  I was surprised that he was appointed.  I was surprised, frankly, that Biden put him in and extended him, but they did.  .  .  .  He’s a knucklehead.

Two:
In a speech, July 15, at Carnegie Mellon University, Donald boasted that Uncle MIT Professor John Trump taught Ted Kaczynski the Unabomber.
“My Uncle (John) was at MIT.  Kaczynski was one of his students.  .  .  .  I said, “What kind of a student was he, Uncle John, Doctor John Trump?”  He said, “Seriously good.”

There is no connection between Dr. John Trump, MIT, and Ted Kaczynski.    Kaczynski earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard and master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. 

Three:
The Wallstreet Journal, July 17, reported that a “raunchy,” leather-bound,  book compiled for Jeffrey Epstein’s fiftieth birthday, includes text within a hand-drawn outline of a nude female, with “a squiggly ‘Donald’ below her waist, mimicking pubic hair.”

In an interview, July 15 Tuesday, Trump responded, “This is not me.  This is a fake thing.  It’s a fake Wallstreet Journal article.  I never wrote a picture in my life.  I don’t draw picture of women.”  A Google of “Donald Trump’s Drawings” reveals the President draws, quite well.  Many bear the iconic, black-sharpie scrawl.  Some are framed; some sold for charity.  There’s even a coloring book.

What began as “let Trump be Trump” mushroomed into the untold thousands of imaginings, fabrications, and bald-face lies which now threaten the survival of American Democracy.

Most puzzling and alarming, no one, not liberals, not “fake news,” point out, much less challenge, Donald Trump’s madness!

What the hell’s happening to America?

We Were Warned

The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 37 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President—Updated and Expanded with New Essays (in 2019) .  .  .  concludes:

“President Donald Trump is dangerously mentally ill and that he presents a clear and present danger to the nation.  .  .  .  From the trauma people have experience under the Trump administration to the cult-like characteristic of his followers, he has created unprecedented mental health consequences across our nation and beyond.  It’s not in our heads.  It’s in his.”

These experts agree that Donald Trump exhibits classic symptoms of Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD).  The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM5) defines NPD as, “a persistent manner of grandiosity, a continuous desire for admiration, along with a lack of empathy. It starts in early adulthood and occurs in a range of situations, as signified by the existence of any 5 of the next 9 standards,

  • A grandiose logic of self-importance
  • A fixation with fantasies of infinite success, control, brilliance, beauty or idyllic love
  • A credence that he or she is extraordinary and exceptional and can only be understood by, or should connect with, other extraordinary or important people or institutions
  • A desire for unwarranted admiration
  • A sense of entitlement
  • Interpersonal oppressive behavior
  • No form of empathy
  • Resentment of others or a conviction that others are resentful of him or her
  • A display of egotistical and conceited behavior or attitudes”

That’s 9 for 9 folks: Narcissistic Personality Disorder on steroids!  We don’t need the President of the America Psychiatric Association to make this call!  

DSM5 does not use “Malignant.” Campbell’s Psychiatric Dictionary describes Malignant Narcissism as combining characteristics of Narcissistic and Antisocial Personality Disorders, making the patient not only delusional but potentially dangerous!

Donald J. Trump’s ever-expanding litany of delusional thinking, ill-conceived acts and policies, factual inaccuracies, and outright lies pose hazards to The United States of America and our World! 

Karl Rove on January 6

At the January 31–February 2, 2024, Rancho Mirage Writers Festival, archconservative Karl Rove voiced thought about the January 6, 2021, assault on America’s Capitol, Congress, and Constitution.  Donald Trump’s fans might find the Republican icon’s transcribed comments instructive:

“If (Biden’s campaign) were smart, they would take the January 6 and go hard at it.  And they would say, ‘He wants to pardon the people who attacked our Capitol.’

“I worked in that building as a young man.  To me the Congress of the United States is one of the great examples of the strength of our democracy and a jewel of the Constitution.  And what those people did when they violently attacked the Capitol in order to stop a Constitutionally mandated meeting of the Congress to accept the results of the Electoral College is a stain on our history, and every one of those sons-of-bitches who did that, we ought to find them and send them to jail.

“And one of the critical mistakes made in this campaign is that Donald Trump has now said, ‘I’m going to pardon those people because they’re “hostages.”’  No they’re not!  They’re thugs!  Those people, some of them had automatic weapons at a hotel in Virginia hoping to  be called up.  We had people saying, ‘Where is Nancy Pelosi?’  We had people who were, you know, taking desks and siting at the desk of the Speaker of the House, and attempting to find people to bring them to justice, and saying, yelling at the police, saying, ‘Kill them.  Kill them all!’

“And so, what Trump has done is beyond me.  He could have said, ‘You know what?  I trust our jury system.  I trust law enforcement.  Anybody who assaulted the capital ought to be’—I mean he said it once or twice—but now he’s got, he’s appearing in a venue with people who assaulted police officers with an intent to take the Capitol by force.

“So, you know what?  I‘m a Republican.  I don’t want a Democrat President.  I want to have a Republican President.  But, we’re facing as a country and as citizens.  And you know what?  Everybody gets to make it, as to what kind of leadership we’re going to have, and to me it is a mistake on the part of the Trump campaign to allow the President’s impulses to identify himself with the people or assaulted the Capitol rather than people who stand for law and order.”

Behind Karl’s sincere and high-minded respect for America’s Capitol and Institutions, and his puzzlement at Trump’s failure to call for the rule of law to hold the rioters accountable—the cockroach in Rove’s rational soup—is his failure to appreciate that President Donald J.  Trump orchestrated and ordered the “sons-of-bitches” to attack our Capitol, Congress, and Constitution!

Footnote: Every January 6 “hostage” was tried in a court of law and found guilty by a jury of their peers. 

Full Immunity

On Truth Social, January 17, Donald Trump posted:
“A PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES MUST HAVE FULL IMMUNITY, WITHOUT WHICH IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR HIM/HER TO PROPERLY FUNCTION. ANY MISTAKE, EVEN IF WELL INTENDED, WOULD BE MET WITH ALMOST CERTAIN INDICTMENT BY THE OPPOSING PARTY AT TERM END. EVEN EVENTS THAT “CROSS THE LINE” MUST FALL UNDER TOTAL IMMUNITY, OR IT WILL BE YEARS OF TRAUMA TRYING TO DETERMINE GOOD FROM BAD. THERE MUST BE CERTAINTY. EXAMPLE: YOU CAN’T STOP POLICE FROM DOING THE JOB OF STRONG & EFFECTIVE CRIME PREVENTION BECAUSE YOU WANT TO GUARD AGAINST THE OCCASIONAL “ROGUE COP” OR “BAD APPLE.” SOMETIMES YOU JUST HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT.  ALL PRESIDENTS MUST HAVE COMPLETE & TOTAL PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY, OR THE AUTHORITY & DECISIVENESS OF A PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES WILL BE STRIPPED & GONE FOREVER. HOPEFULLY THIS WILL BE AN EASY DECISION. GOD BLESS THE SUPREME COURT!”

“Immunity,” from civil or criminal prosecution presupposes allegation or proof of breaking the law!  Over two-and-a-half centuries, from George Washington to Barack Obama and Joe Bidden, American Presidents “PROPERLY FUNCTION(ED)” without thought of “FULL IMMUNITY.” Because the notion of a President breaking the law remained out of the question—until now!

Regarding Donald’s worry around a President facing prosecution for malfeasance after leaving office, of 45 erstwhile U.S. Chief Executives none has been charged nor indicted—until now.

In effect, Donald’s plea for “FULL IMMUNITY” is a confession he has broken and would break the law!