Monthly Archives: March 2017

MacTrump/Act II

Culture, Politics

 

Act II: The Primary Campaign

Scene I: Mar-a-Elsinore

MacTrump (Donald J. Trump):

mar-a-lago[Aside] Alas, back home at the Winter Castle where my beloved and I may once again consummate our confederation of spirit and purpose.  As sayeth the sages, the third time is truly the charm.  Yes, I did first choose Lady Lewandowski.  And then Lady Manafort.  Picking the best wives is more complicated than anyone hast imagined.  Behold, here cometh Lady MacTrump (Steve Bannon).

Lady MacTrump

Welcome home, my lord.  I eagerly awaited your return for I have good tidings.  Although there be no new wars and the economy is on the mend, there is a restlessness among the peasants.  And rumors swirl the throne shall be an open seat soon.  This is our destiny, oops, I mean your destiny, my lord.

MacTrump

My lady, you are mistaken.  Donalbain of Tallahassee, the second son of King Duncan is next in line.

Lady MacTrump

Agreed. But while thou was away, I frequented the local taverns and joined the forgotten patrons.  Many were inebriated yet questioned Donalbain’s commitment to rid the land of the others.  After all, does he not have a wife whose veins flow with foreign blood.? That which hath made them drunk hath made me bold.  What hath quench’d them hath given me fire.

MacTrump

Tis’ true.  Already, many thanes and fifes have expressed an interest in challenging the anointed one.

Lady MacBeth

No, my lord.  You are the anointed one.  Were you not handed the silver spoon at birth?  Did you not, at a young age, learn to be a warrior at the military academy in the Land of York? I ‘can-see-no’ way thou would fail to vanquish them all.  Bankrupt thou shall never be. Be off, my lord, there is work to do.

Scene II: Lady MacTrump’s Anteroom

MacTrump

Is this a tabloid I see before me?  A dagger of the mind, a false creation, proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?  What have I done?  Surely, I shall be discovered and punished for my sins.

Lady MacTrump

Rest your conscience, my Lord.  Your tiny hands are clean.  It is your servants Breitbart and Ailes who will pay the price for their indiscretions.  You are the king.  The law no longer applies. Retire we to our chamber, a little water clears us of this deed.  And please, my lord, stop calling me Shirley.

MacTrump

Then why am I so robbed of sleep?  Arising before the cock crows, my head filled with thoughts I wish to share if only there were a way to do so. Where did you put my tablet and stylus?

Lady MacTrump

Worry not, my lord.  Everything will turn out alt-right.

[Playwright’s Note:  Students of Shakespeare will receive extra credit for identifying actual quotes from Act II of Macbeth.]

 

When Everything is Suspect

Politics

 

On March 7, 2017, New York Times columnist Tom Friedman shared his concerns that Donald Trump’s undocumented conspiracy theories and constant denial of empirical fact are a disaster in waiting.  He wrote the following to make this point.

Moreover, one day soon something will happen — in North Korea, the South China Sea, Ukraine, Iran — that will require him to make a judgment call. Trump will have to look the American people in the eye and say: “Trust me — I decided this based on the best information and advice of the intelligence community.” Or, “Trust me, we needed to work with Russia on this.”

And who will believe him? There is nothing more dangerous than a U.S. president who’s squandered his trust before he has to lead us through a crisis.

But Friedman points out a larger and somewhat sad situation we cannot ignore.  Not only has Trump damaged his own credibility, members of his administration are being asked to defend the indefensible.  Example:  Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly’s interviews on the Sunday news shows.

Before January 20th, John Kelly was known as a decorated U.S. Marine Corp general whose service to his country included stints as the commander of the multi-national force in Iraq and the U.S. Southern Command.  This Sunday he became Donald Trump’s pimp.  When Wolf Blitzer questioned the basis for Trump’s accusation President Obama ordered a wiretap of his phones during the election, Kelly replied:

He must have some convincing evidence that took place. … I don’t pretend to even guess as to what the motivation may have been for the previous administration to do something like that.

You must be kidding!  The Secretary of Homeland Security has not asked his boss to share the evidence?  Or called the FBI, CIA or NSA to ask if there is any truth to the charge?  You’re the #$@&%*! (my wife asked me to tone down the language) Secretary of Homeland Security.  You have access to anything you want.  And to ice the cake, he too implies this undocumented allegation is fact.

trump-waterYou want a conspiracy theory?  There must be something in Trump brand water which not only rinses the palate, but also cleanses the soul of any sense of integrity.  (Note to Ivanka, Donald Jr. and Eric:  How about a new marketing campaign?  “Trump Water is the new Kool-aid!”)

So, how many more reputable individuals will be infected?  And can we trust anyone?  The news item which triggered this post was the announcement former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman would be the next United States ambassador to Russia.  Pre-Trump this appointment would be welcomed.  Huntsman has served his state and the nation honorably including his tenure as ambassador to China during the first Obama administration.

However, when everything is suspect, one cannot help but consider the possibility of an ulterior motive for what, on the surface, appears to be a grain of sanity in an hourglass of chaos.  This is pure speculation, but I dare say, it is more credible than the foolishness His Orangeness tweets on a regular basis.

Consider the following.  Much has been written about Trump’s foreign policy shift away from engagement with China toward an alliance with Russia.  The purpose? To marginalize China’s growing global influence resulting from an increase in economic and military strength.  If that is truly the case, it makes sense to pick an emissary to the Kremlin who is an expert on China and during his time as ambassador in Beijing had access to classified intelligence on the Chinese government and military.  Such information would be invaluable for a Russian-U.S. joint venture to undercut China’s international standing.

Jon Huntsman will serve AT the pleasure of Donald Trump.  I just hope he remembers he does not have to serve FOR the pleasure of  the current occupant of the White House.

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP

The End of Civilization

Culture, Politics

 

Damn!!  On most days, I blog in hopes of raising questions and encouraging others to look under the rocks, read between the lines or examine the white space where they might discover the deeper meaning behind the news or societal behavior.  Don’t get me wrong.  It is something I enjoy doing.  But it is not always pleasurable. Yesterday,  I was actually having fun writing this blog.  And I hoped to have four more days of relatively minor chaos in Washington in order to complete Acts II-V of the MacTrump parody.  No such luck.

paulryanmain12
Why is this man smiling?

Let me explain.  The title of this post is not due to any on-going concern that a thin-skinned, narcissist might fumble the “nuclear football.”  In fact, today the target isn’t even Donald Trump.  The trigger for today’s post was introduction of the American Health Care Act aka RyanCare, the proposed replacement for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act aka ObamaCare.

I know.  I know.  As I’m writing these words, I can imagine one of my former students interrupting.  “Come on, Professor.  Aren’t you exaggerating just a bit?  Do you really believe we’re all going to die because of one congressional bill?” No, I don’t.  This is not about the physical demise of civilization.  It is about the philosophy embodied in the Republican health care proposal which turns its back on a major tenet of community life which has existed since the earliest days of mankind.

While I was still on the faculty at Miami University, I team taught a course in ethics.  On the first day of class my  colleague, a professor of business legal studies, would describe the origins of what one might call the “moral code” which governs society.  Before our primitive ancestors began to live collectively, it was the law of the jungle.  Everyone for themselves.  But as they created communities, they recognized the need for shared responsibility.  Even a cave person, observing an older member of the tribe in pain, inherently knew some day they too might suffer the same fate.   From which developed a pattern of behavior, not out of altruism, but necessity.  Jean-Jacques Rousseau described this ethical standard as “the social contract.”

Sadly, the RyanCare proposal does just the opposite.  Consider this one provision, the elimination of the individual mandate.  ObamaCare required all financially able Americans to contribute to the nation’s collective health.  They could do this by making sure they personally were covered or pay a penalty.  The penalty was actually a tax, the primary purpose of which was to teach individuals who did not think they needed insurance (i.e. the young and healthy) what the earliest homo sapiens understood eons ago.  Youth and good health are temporary conditions.

According to every analysis of the Republican plan, without the mandate, health care expenditures will increase for the most vulnerable (low income and the elderly).  While other provisions, such as elimination of the tax on passive income (capital gains, dividends and interest) for families with an income of $250,000 or more (i.e. the 0.1 percent), represents a major tax break for the wealthy.  Just what America needs.  Trickle-down health care.

I must admit, you have to appreciate the irony. The political party made up of individuals of whom 49 percent do not believe in evolution (Source: Public Policy Polling, February 2015) is promoting health care legislation based on the Darwinian principle of “survival of the fittest.”  They might as well have called the proposal, “The Jungle Health Care Act.”

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP

 

MacTrump/Act One

Culture, Politics

A PLAY IN FIVE ACTS

mactrumpCast of Characters (special all-white male cast)

  • MacTrump/Donald J. Trump
  • Lady MacTrump (his third wife)/Steve Bannon
  • King Duncan/George W. H. Bush
  • Malcolm, Prince of Dallas (1st son of Duncan)/George W. Bush
  • Donalbain, Prince of Tallahassee (2nd son of Duncan)/Jeb Bush
  • Macduff, Thane of Scottsdale/John McCain (understudy Lindsay Graham)
  • Banquo/Kellyanne Conway (alternative male)
  • The Witches/Vladimir Putin, Sergei Kislyak & Julian Assange

Act One/The Prophecy

MacTrump

So foul and fair a day I have not seen. The kingdom is a swamp.  And former kings Duncan and Malcolm knew not how to drain it.  Nor does the heir apparent Donalbain, he of low-energy.  Hark, who are these immigrants who call to me?  Speak, refugees!

The Witches

Neither immigrants nor refugees we be.  Like you, we are masters of the deal.  And if thou taketh our offer, we see a future in which you shall wear the crown.  But though you have many heirs, none shall sit on the throne after you.  Finally, beware of those you insult, for one of the targets of your contempt shall emerge to challenge you.

MacTrump

It truly is an attractive proposition, but dare I ask?  Will I be able to forge castles and fields of recreation bearing my name throughout the kingdom?

The Witches

Yes, my Lord.  They shall stand as emoluments to your legacy.

MacTrump

Then it is off to MacTrump Tower to tapp into this wellspring of good fortune.  I bid thee thanks and farewell.  And when I ascend to the White Throne you shall be amply rewarded.  (Aside: These three seem not so deplorable in mine eyes.) [Exits]

There’s Something Happening Here

Politics

 

Many of you may recognize the title of today’s post as the opening line of Stephen Still’s lyrics from Buffalo Springfield 1966 megahit, “For What It’s Worth.” (NOTE: You have probably  also figured out that I’m a big fan of the song as its title is my sign-off for each post.  No coincidence here.)

But it is not the song’s title that peaked my curiosity this morning.  It is the fourth verse.

Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you’re always afraid
You step out of line, the man come and take you away

Which reminded me of that now famous Kurt Cobain quote, “Just cause you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t after you.”  And no one can argue many segments of American society are understandably paranoid.  All you have to do is scan the headlines.  Deportation forces grabbing people off the street with little or no justification.  Hate crimes against Muslims and immigrants.  Vandalism and bomb threats directed at the Jewish community.

Which brings me to the timing of this post.  It could have been written any time over the past 18 months.  So why today?  Because the most dangerous paranoia is not that of the targets of Donald Trump’s misguided policies or the unwarranted fear his followers have of “the others.”  More alarming is the paranoia the agitator-in-chief exhibited in a flurry of Saturday morning tweets, accusing his predecessor of wire-tapping his phones without a hint of evidence to support the claim.  As many comedians and pundits have hinted over the past 24 hours, maybe this is what Trump investigators found when they were looking for proof President Obama was born in Kenya.

During a town hall meeting, South Carolina Senator Lindsay Graham addressed the issue. He noted, based on currently available information, it is impossible to tell what is true or what is not.  He suggested two possible outcomes.  If Trump is correct, this is a serious violation of Obama’s oath of office.  But, and this is a very important but, if these are Trumped-up charges (sorry, I couldn’t help it), the Lyin’ King’s actions are equally or more onerous.

Graham is correct.  But here’s the real test whether someone like Senator Graham is truly interested in preserving the Constitution or is just straddling the fence to appear statesmanlike.  If we find there was NO basis for Trump’s assertions, Graham has no choice other than supporting impeachment and conviction or invoking the 25th amendment.

So Donald, there’s evidence you are growing more paranoid by the day.  And you should be afraid.  And if you have stepped out of line, as Stephen Stills writes, someone will come and take you away.  Now that’s something you should really be paranoid about.

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP