HONOR

Former Secretary of Defense James Mattis in an article in The Atlantic denounces the president and describes him as a threat to the Constitution.  He said ”I have watched this week’s unfolding events, angry and appalled.  The words “Equal Justice Under Law” are carved in the impediment of the United States Supreme Court.  This is precisely what protesters are rightly demanding.  It is a wholesome and unifying demand, one that all of us should be able to get behind”.  He went on to say “I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution.  Never did I dream that troops taking the same oath would be ordered under any circumstance to violate the Constitutional rights of their fellow citizens, much less to provide for a bizarre photo-op for the elected commander-in-chief, with military leadership standing alongside”.

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper’s comments about the incident also drew criticism from General Mattis when he said in the same article, “We must reject any thinking of our cities as a “battlespace” that our uniformed military is called to “dominate”.  At Home, we should use our military only when requested to do so, on very rare occasions, by governors.  Militarizing our response, as we witnessed in Washington, D.C. sets up a conflict, a false conflict, between the military and civilian society”.

Ending the article the General goes on to say, “We must reject and hold those accountable those in office who would make a mockery of our Constitution.  At the same time, we must remember…listen to them as we work to unite”.  He wrote of “having a need to return to our founding ideals in order to be admired and respected hear and abroad”.  General Mattis has often said it was bad for democracy, for former officials to speak out.  He had to have been very troubled about the actions and chaos around this administration.

 Former Chief-of-Staff to the armed forces Michael Mullen in another Atlantic article said “it sickens me yesterday to see security personnel, including members of the National Guard, forcibly and violently clear a path through Lafayette Square to accommodate the president’s visit outside St. John’s Church. I have been reticent to speak out on issues surrounding President Trump’s leadership, but we are at an inflection point, and the events of the past few weeks have made it impossible to remain silent.  Whatever his goal in conducting his visit, he laid bare his distain for the rights of peaceful protest in this country, gave succor to the leaders of other countries who take comfort in our domestic strife, and risked further politicizing the men and women of our armed forces.”  He goes on to say he was not confident of the potential soundness of future orders by this President.  He was not convinced the conditions on the streets have risen to the level where the use of the military was justified.  He also stated, we have not crossed the threshold that would require invoking the provisions of the Insurrection Act of 1807.  He was also concerned with the potential, with Trump giving orders the troops, will be utilized for political purposes.  (Note: as if he’s has not already committed that heinous act.)

This condemnation by these individuals of the President’s actions must be taken seriously.  This criticism is a complete break with tradition and had to have been carefully thought out.  These individuals must have weighed the amount of potential damage Trump is to the institutions against the tradition of silence, and as Mattis said the criticism from former officials can harm a democracy.

CIA veterans that monitored crackdowns abroad see parallels in Trump’s actions here.  “This is what autocrats do.  This is what happens in countries before a collapse”

LACK OF HONOR

In contrast to the military leaders being appalled at the actions of the President’s ordering the clearing the park on June 1^st, there is radio silence by the sycophant republicans.  Anne Applebaum wrote that “history will judge the complicit” in an article also in The Atlantic magazine.

She asked the questions of our leaders.  Where is Senator Linsey Graham, an ex-military lawyer, once a vocal about rule of law issues in the military, advocate for military justice?  Linsey understands the consequences or the things the President is using and what he is talking about. 

Where is Mike Pompeo, as an active Chinese critic not speaking out about what it looks like to the rest of the world when it is seen using military force on peaceful demonstrators in the nations capital?  How will these actions help keep struggling democracies fighting authoritarianism? 

Where is Mike Pence, as a believing Christian he should be appalled at the use of a church as a backdrop and the word of God, as a prop for a political statement?  Complicity for some reason is the norm leaders rely on and it works for most except for those who pay attention.

Is the real story Donald Trump or is it his enablers he surrounds himself with, that are complicit in their lack of any ability to intercede in his inane stage shows?

Trump cannot act with norm shattering behaviors, without the republican leadership in the Senate, his cabinet and his advisors providing cover, and are thereby complicit as well.

DISTRACTION DELEMA

Does anyone but me feel Trump’s chest beating performance on the 1^st, chasing peaceful protesters was to excite his base showing he is in charge and dominating in his power trip?  Trump has shown he has no leadership skills in his handling the pandemic, the economy, and the peaceful demonstrators. So what does he do? He turns to showmanship to gain the klieg lights with the most obnoxious act he could devise. 

Is this show only to distract from the impending second wave of the virus.  Dr. Fauci has

stated the most promising vaccine is being manufactured for availability after the new year.  This, without the completion of the vaccine’s tests that determines effectiveness and side effects.  The second wave is almost guaranteed with massive demonstrations in all 50 states.  If the second wave is like the second wave of the 1918-1920 Spanish flu pandemic look for a potential for an additional 200,000 deaths without the promised vaccine. 

The problem is, that this wave of the virus could rear its ugly head with the deaths occurring prior to the availability of the vaccine or in November driving down participation in the elections and assuring a Trump second term.  (Great conspiracy theory material)

It only took a little over 3 months to get to 100,000 deaths.  Trump throughout this pandemic has relied on magic for the answers.  Let’s all hope that the vaccine is available and not based on magic.  The odds are not good if you look at prior successes with Covid type viruses like the common cold.  Dr. Fauci has only given few statements since Trump switched the responsibility of testing to the governors and quit his daily briefings and turned to election mode.  Has Fauci swallowed trump’s grape Kool Aid? 

The problem becomes obvious, if Trump is willing to direct force to the public to distract from the economy and the pandemic, what else will he concoct to distract when times get worse?

ECONOMIC TOLL

In an article in the Financial Times Edward Luce wrote about how things could go wrong in America.  He wrote, “The key to view these images through the lens of reality television.  Mr. Trump wants America to believe that white House is threatened by domestic terrorists, arsonists, thugs, looters, and killers.” He claims U.S. stability is under threat.  He claims that his life and those of law-abiding citizens, are threatened by extremists in the street.  All his claims require a visual backdrop, hence the troops and the church. 

All to cover for his pole numbers tanking, he is forced to deal with the bad hand of a poorly managed pandemic, the worst economic contraction since the Great Depression, and the inability to quell the peaceful demonstrators showing anger at the injustice in a country that claims to have equal justice.  This is the sole reason the statue of justice is blindfolded; however it appears to be able to distinguish and favor of the color blue.

Mr.Luce went on to say “These are the actions of someone with little interest in governing.  But Mr. Trump does have a burning desire to be re-elected. Faced with a choice between sabotaging American democracy or a future spent in and out of courtrooms.  I have no doubt where Mr. Trump instincts lie.”

The closer to the election in November, the greater the fireworks and deflection.  He is a performer that lives in the moment and takes no responsibility. 

MAGICAL THINKING

Trump has been involved in magical thinking since his inauguration with the crowd size.  His thinking was it was the largest and in thinking so it makes it true.  In an article in the Los Angeles Times Michael Roth wrote about ”Magical thinking”, he claimed it is a phenomenon long studied by psychologists and anthropologists.  It is the belief that you can have an impact on the results by thinking in a certain way or by going through a certain ritual.  

These wishes become that person’s reality.  This way of thinking is common in young children and is sometimes called “pre-operational“ stage of cognition.  This is characterized by pretending rather than using information and a reluctance to see another’s point of view and a lack of logical reasoning.

Magical thinking includes his hydroxychloroquine bender as a prophylactic.  Use as a preventative was disproven in a blind trial using 800 individuals and found no difference in infection rates and a placebo.

 Another one of his magical thinking is his tweet saying the peaceful demonstrators his administration brutalized were terrorists.  This is a revisionist historical magical mystery tour.

Magical thinking is a corollary to the placebo effect, because occasionally it works.  He gave an angry and fearful advice in a phone call to the governors about the protests.  He said “if you don’t dominate, you’re wasting your time”.   A crisis is when individuals are most scared and confused with magical thinking and anti-intellectualism being an alternative.  Trump offers magical thinking as consolation for the unknown to his followers.   The problem is Trump can only perceive his own reality.  The pandemic will always offer truth to Trump and he has no way to counter and wish away.