This is really a study in character.  Donald J. Trump vs. Michael J. Fox.  You’re free to draw your own conclusions but its pretty obvious to me which of these men have true character.

We have our own version of the saying, “Nero fiddles while Rome burns.”  That would be “Trump plays golf while the G20 discusses the pandemic that is ravaging the country.”  Rather than do his job, which is working for ‘we the people’, he chose to go golfing while the rest of the members of the G20 discussed how best to respond to the COVID pandemic that is sweeping across the world.  Never mind that over 250,000 Americans have died, cases now top 12 million and hospitals are in crisis all over the country.   The current president is AWOL. 

Trump has not answered any questions from reporters since the election almost three weeks ago.  His sole focus since that time seems to be to continue spread false information about voter fraud and rigged elections via Twitter, huddle with his legal team to file endless numbers of baseless lawsuits, and to play golf.  I’m pretty sure that is not a comprehensive list of duties in the job description for ‘President of the United States.”

I’m pretty sure the world has not taken a ‘time out’ to give Trump some time to sulk.  And if it weren’t bad enough that thousands of Americans are dying, millions of Americans are still unemployed and benefits will run out for most by the end of the year.  Any president worth the title would be on the phone and meeting with Congressional leaders to use their political clout to try to push through another stimulus package.

Our adversaries are not taking a break and you can bet that they have probably amplified and accelerated whatever nefarious deeds they are up to since it is patently obvious to the whole world that we have an absentee president.   He did, however, have time to give Putin another gift as part of his scorched earth policy as he leaves office.  He formally withdrew the US from the Open Skies Treaty which we have been a part of for something like three decades.

As part of the Open Skies Treaty, the 34 member countries, which up until now included Russia and the US, were able to conduct short-notice overflights of each other’s countries with approved surveillance aircraft.  The purpose of these flights was to try to make sure that no one was doing things that could be construed as preparing for armed conflict.  The US uses a modified Boeing C-135 Stratolifter designated as OC-135 and is equipped with approved sensors such as cameras and a Synthetic Aperture Radar.   Having worked with many different types of surveillance aircraft during my career in the defense business and knowing what these systems are capable of, this has to be an unbelievably stupid move by Trump and a wonderful gift to Putin.  No more surveillance aircraft able to fly over Russia! – Good job, Donald!!

There is no doubt that Trump will try to contest this election until the bitter end and will likely never concede he lost.  The question really is, how much damage will he do to this country on his way out the door?  The man is completely devoid of anything that could remotely be called ‘character.’  But rather than waste more electrons and brain cells on such a man, I had the pleasure over the weekend to read (with my one good eye!) a book about someone who has more character than most of us.  So, I’d like to share a little bit of that here.  I think it’s called, ‘ending on a high note.’

The book is, “No Time Like The Future,” by Michael J. Fox – yes, that Michael J. Fox, the actor.  I know its quite a segue to go from Donald Trump to Michael J. Fox but the contrast in humanity is like the distance between Earth and Neptune.   I heard about his newly released book last week and through the miracles of Amazon, it landed in my mailbox a couple of days later.  This was my first real ‘test read’ with one eye and, although a bit challenging at times, I got hooked on the book and the challenge was worth the journey.

As most people know, Michael J. Fox, has been living with Parkinson’s Disease since around 1998.  Since that time, he continued to work as an actor.  He and his wife of 30+ years, Tracy Pollan, started a foundation that has raised millions of dollars for Parkinson research and support.  Throughout all of his struggles with this progressive, degenerative disease he has been known for his unbridled optimism and unflagging sense of humor.

This is his fourth book and, as I understand it, perhaps his most self-reflective.  It chronicles his journey over the last couple of years when, on top of the Parkinson Disease, he was diagnosed with a tumor on his spine that required him to make a choice between having an extremely risky surgery or doing nothing which would result in paralysis.  He had the surgery but there was a long recovery during which he literally had to learn to walk again.  A subsequent fall during this rehabilitation resulted in a severely broken arm which required a metal plate and 19 screws to put back together. 

Needless to say, this man has been through a lot – more than most of us can imagine.  And yet, he chronicles this journey with honesty, self-reflection, self-doubt, humanity and most importantly, an unbelievable sense of humor.  I was actually laughing out loud when I read some of his great one-liners. 

Trump, who has never wanted for anything, has abandoned his job so he can sulk in the White House and play golf. He quit.  Michael J. Fox came from nothing, rose to be very successful and now fights hard every single day to just walk safely down the hall of his house to the kitchen. But he does so with gratitude for everyone around him, a wicked sense of humor and he refuses to quit.  You tell me who has character.

If you want to read a feel-good book amidst all the bullshit flying around these days, I recommend Michael J. Fox’s, “No Time Like The Future.”

The spectacle that is going on in this country with Trump trying to subvert and overturn the election should be an embarrassment to any truly patriotic American who truly gives a damn about this country.   We are a nation of laws and institutionalized processes that have worked reasonably well (warts and all!) over the last 240 years.  Free and fair elections and the peaceful transition of power have been part of the very foundation on which this country has been built.

At last count, the Trump campaign was batting 2 out of 31 lawsuits filed in various state and Federal courts.  IF the Trump campaign had evidence that would stand up in a court of law, these cases would have been adjudicated in Trump’s favor.  Instead, these suits are being dismissed as fast as they are being filed for the simple fact that the Trump campaign has not presented any credible evidence to support their allegations.  And, remember, all of these judges are not Democrats.  Due to Mitch McConnell’s effort to pack the courts across the country with conservative judges over the last four years, many of these judges are very likely Conservative Republicans – and even they are throwing out lawsuits for lack of evidence.

The fact that so many conservative, reputable lawyers have either refused to participate in this charade or have walked away from it should speak volumes.  Ben Ginsburg has been a Republican election lawyer for 40 years and he is no where to be seen.  Instead, the Trump campaign has Rudy Giuliani leading the legal challenges which has turned into nothing more than another embarrassment.  His disjointed, rambling arguments, whether in front of the courts or in front of the press, are truly an embarrassment to his former colleagues and the entire legal profession.  The word ‘pathetic’ comes to mind. 

This whole legal circus reminds me of a gang murder trial that I served as a juror for when I was living in LA.  It was an interesting experience and I certainly learned a lot more about gangs in LA than I ever really wanted to know.  We found the young man guilty and he was sent away for 25 years to life because the evidence was overwhelming.  We were talking to the prosecutor after the trial and we remarked about the amount of evidence and the weak arguments the defense made.  He told us that the defendant had been offered a plea deal but that in these types of gang trials the defendants almost always insist on a jury trial rather than accepting a plea deal.  He said they are hoping that there will be at least one juror who will insistently vote to acquit resulting in a hung jury.  They know it’s a long shot but they almost always take it.  This seems to be the same thinking as the strategy undertaken by the Trump legal team.   Throw enough lawsuits out there and maybe one of them will stick.  This is not the way democracy is supposed to work!

Since the legal strategy isn’t working, now Trump is blatantly trying to interfere with the election process by trying to convince Republican-led state legislatures to go against the will of the people in their states and put up a slate of rogue electors in favor of Trump.  These efforts by Trump and his allies like Lindsay Graham are most certainly unconstitutional and could very well be illegal.  The irony should not be lost on anyone.  The ‘law and order’ president is, once again, operating as if the law does not apply to him.  It is unconscionable that the Republicans cannot find their spines and speak out more forcefully about these continued assaults on our democracy.

There are a number of organizations that monitor elections around the world to try to ensure elections are fair and when they observe irregularities, they report them.  These organizations are invited to observe the elections in the US and, heretofore, it has been kind of a boring process because the US has kind of been the standard for ‘free and fair’ elections.  However, this year a number of these organizations have expressed concerns about Trump’s ongoing, baseless allegations of voter fraud.  One of these organizations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, has stated that they have observed no evidence to support Trump’s claims. ¹

Trump’s campaign has been unable to provide any evidence of voter fraud that will stand up in court.  Republican and Democratic election officials across all 50 states have stated that there is no evidence of wide-spread voter fraud.  International election observers have stated that there is no evidence of wide-spread voter fraud.  That is because, there has been no wide-spread voter fraud.  Trump lost the election by 6,000,000   votes in the popular vote and by a margin of 306 to 232 in the electoral college.  Those are FACTS! 

The only voter fraud and election rigging that is going on is being done by Trump and his toadies.  And given that Trump is such a vindictive, vengeful, petty megalomaniacal person, he will make it his mission to cause as much damage to the incoming Biden administration as possible in the next two months.   This scorched earth approach to the transition will not ‘Make America Great’ but will leave the country deeply wounded and vulnerable.  Trump doesn’t give a damn.  He has never given a damn.   A severely damaged and polarized America will just be another in a long list of Trump failures.

1. Election observer says no evidence for Trump’s fraud claims (apnews.com)

I came across this article yesterday and was just wondering if this is descriptive of anyone we know?  Personally, I don’t think I have ever seen a better description of DJT.  I decided to post the article in its entirety. ¹

“Megalomaniacs are people with a very exaggerated self-image; they consider themselves powerful and important. In this article, discover seven traits of megalomaniac

Do you know a person who’s convinced that everything they say or think is grandiose? This person is probably a megalomaniac. Usually, megalomaniacs belittle others because they feel superior. But apart from their huge ego, how do you truly identify a megalomaniac?

Although it’s common to find people who’re proud of themselves, have a great self-image, and think they’re capable of doing anything, it’s not that easy to know for sure whether they’re megalomaniacs or not. But if those people have such a high self-perception and also belittle and hate everyone around them because they feel “superior” to everyone else, then that could be a sign that they’re very narcissistic.

Megalomania is a psychological condition under narcissistic personality disorder symptoms, according to the DSM-V. However, to know whether a person is a megalomaniac as part of a disorder, psychologists pay attention to whether they have delusional ideas or not and if they have fantasies of power, relevance, and omnipotence that leads them to think they’re the best.

Historical characters such as Napoleon Bonaparte, Hitler, Stalin, or Mao Zedong are often attributed megalomaniac and narcissistic traits. In fact, those traits encouraged them to pursue the goal of ruling the entire world.

If you pay attention to these leaders’ behavior, you’ll realize that they all thought they were the only capable people in the world to save their homelands and conquer other countries. They felt like their existence was necessary and, therefore, continued to seek infinite power.

Curiously enough, people who impulsively claim to be the greatest conquerors under the belief that they have absolute power experience more intense pathological symptoms because they feel responsible and capable of the unattainable. As history has demonstrated time and time again, megalomaniacs end up becoming dangerous leaders who’re willing to do the unthinkable to obtain power.

A megalomaniac won’t only believe they’re capable of what nobody else can do. Due to this excess of responsibility, they’ll also tend to blame themselves for the consequences of their actions.

As you can see, megalomaniacs have an exaggerated self-concept. They’ll try to get social validation, which they associate to being in a position of power. However, although they show great self-confidence, they lack affection and feel empty and inferior inside.

Seven Traits of Megalomaniacs

• Presumptuousness. They believe they’re essential.
• They feel indestructible and capable of solving any problem that comes their way. They’re manipulative, which is how they get to positions of power.
• Feelings of omnipotence. They often put other people to the test to compare themselves and show that they’re better than everyone else.
• They don’t admit to their mistakes, so they never learn from them.
• Narcissistic and idealized self-image.
• Hyperawareness of people’s reaction to what they do or say. If people reject them, they think those people are the problem and not them.
• Vanity, supported by a strong ego that grows as a result of feeling superior.

“Time will tell whether I am a wing nut or a megalomaniac. The difference between a cult and faith is time.”

-David Milch-

What’s Behind a Megalomaniac’s Personality?

Megalomaniacs refuse to recognize that there’s a fearful, self-conscious, and love-seeking person deep inside of them. That’s why they use insults and impose their false omnipotence as a defense mechanism.

On the other hand, due to their fear of being inferior, they ridicule anyone who makes them feel threatened and, as a consequence, harm anyone they think is a threat to their ego. However, there’s an insecure person who feels unable behind that mask.

By trying to exaggerate their abilities and dramatize their achievements, megalomaniacs manifest, without wanting to, a weak self-esteem and a scarce ability to face frustration.

Their arrogance can make them feel lonely because people just don’t accept them. Other times, they might even isolate themselves. Their feelings of superiority may make them stay away from anyone they consider inferior.

That loneliness leads to an inevitable emotional void that can harm their well-being.

“Egotism is the anesthetic which nature gives us to deaden the pain of being a fool.” 

-Dr. Herbert Shofield-“

That pretty well sums up the guy in the White House.   January 20^th cannot come soon enough.  And speaking of Trump leaving the White House (hopefully!!), I found it interesting that yesterday Trump had an unannounced meeting with a high-level representative from the Government of Indonesia.   The news organizations have requested the normal ‘readout’ provided after a meeting with a foreign government official but so far, none has been provided.  Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner were also in attendance at the meeting.   Given that Trump has been in his bunker mentality and not having meetings during the last few days, this seemed somewhat odd. 

As I, and many others, have pointed out previously, Trump will be facing a lot of legal and financial problems when he leaves office.  My theory has always been that he and his family would escape to Russia if things got too ‘hot’ for them here in the US.  However, I checked and it turns out that Indonesia does not have an extradition treaty with the US.  In addition, they already have some very nice golf courses and the climate is warm and humid, somewhat like Florida.  I’m sure its all a coincidence.  That said, I’d like to add Indonesia to the places Trump and his family might decide to ‘retire’ to at some future date.  

1. https://exploringyourmind.com/seven-traits-of-megalomaniacs/

Trump’s legal strategy, such as it is, seems to be to clog up the courts with meritless lawsuits in an effort to delay the certification of the election results in certain states that he lost.   So far, virtually all of the campaign’s lawsuits alleging voter fraud have been thrown out of courts in multiple states.   No evidence has been presented in any of the lawsuits to back up the wild and discredited allegations.  So, why would Trump’s team do this?  There are two reasons.   Money and corruption of our democratic system in a desperate attempt to remain in power.

As I have pointed out before in these posts, the longer Trump can convince his followers that there is some reason to continue filing lawsuits, the donations will continue to pour in.   Trump likes money.  Trump is a con man.  This is right up his alley.  I’m sure a lot of his faithful followers think their money goes directly to fund Trump’s legal strategy.  However, it goes primarily to retire his campaign debt, fund his new SuperPAC and, only then, to legal operations.  

What I find extremely depressing is that I heard about a poll yesterday that stated 70 percent of Republicans believe that Joe Biden won the election due to wide spread voter fraud.  This is spite of the FACT that virtually none of the Trump campaign lawsuits alleging this have provided any evidence and have been dismissed by multiple state and Federal judges.  This in spite of the FACT that election officials across the nation – both Republican officials and Democratic officials – have stated that they have seen no evidence of wide spread voter fraud.  This has to be the biggest con on the American electorate in my life time.  Twitter feeds, Facebook posts, TV propaganda and anecdotes are not evidence!!!  If the Trump campaign had any evidence, they would present it in a court of law and the cases would be adjudicated.  Now, they are just being tossed out of court because THERE IS NO EVIDENCE that will stand up to scrutiny and people testifying under oath. 

I believe, however, the main reason for all of these baseless lawsuits is to corrupt the very foundation of the American democratic system.  Joe Biden won the popular vote by almost 6 million votes.  His lead in the electoral college is 306 to 232.  The true purpose for all of these lawsuits is to hopefully delay the certification of election results in key states.  The hope for the Trump team is that the Republican led legislatures in these key states appoint a separate slate of electors than those that would be assigned in the normal process.  These rogue slates of electors would obviously be for Trump and the hope is to move enough electoral votes from the Biden column to the Trump column.  This is, in fact, Trump’s strategy to undermine a legitimate election by corruptly manipulating the system.  Some would call this ‘election fraud.’

In step two of this process, the Biden campaign would obviously file lawsuits to challenge these rogue sets of electors.  And, of course, the Trump campaign would expect this move but would count on these cases ultimately being settled in the Supreme Court where Trump has appointed three justices.  This is certainly not a job that the Supreme Court wants but after the Bush-Gore election when the court handed the election to Bush, who knows how this would play out.  Remember that Gore won the popular vote.

So, just for the hell of it, let’s assume Trump’s Hail Mary legal strategy works – as nightmarish as that is.   What do you really think would really happen in this country?  It would rip this country apart.  If you think this country is polarized now – you ain’t seen nothing yet.  I can imagine protests and levels of violence that would make everything that has gone on before look like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  It is unimaginable with a popular vote margin of 6,000,000 votes and an electoral college margin which is exactly the same margin that Trump won by over Clinton, that the American populace that elected Joe Biden will just sit on their hands and say, “Oh, darn!”  This country will explode.

Trump would have to overturn the electoral vote in three states and it is hard for me to imagine that enough electors in three states would have the guts to try such a stunt.  They have to have some idea of what the consequences would be and I would assume if they were to go this route, they would have made arrangements to enter something like the witness protection program.  All of that said, I would put nothing past Trump in his desperate bid to cling to power.  As I have pointed out before, remaining in the office of the President, is the only thing standing between Trump and a whole host of legal and financial problems. He is a desperate man and desperate people do desperate things.  No one should underestimate him.

 In closing today, I have included a link to an Op-ed I read last night that pretty much sums up my feelings.   The title of the Op-ed is, “It’s Donald Trump vs. democracy. Which side are you on?”¹ Unfortunately, 70 million Americans seem to have made their choice and are willing to blow up 240 years of American history based upon nothing more than Twitter rants and baseless conspiracy theories.  

Although it is unlikely that any Trump supporters ever read this blog, if there are such people, I have a message for you.  If you voted for Trump, although I don’t agree with your choice, I respect your right to make that choice, as that is the bedrock of American democracy.  If, however, you are among the Trump followers who are continuing to deny the legitimacy of this election and acknowledge the fact that Joe Biden won a free and fair election, then as far as I am concerned, you are complicit in this effort to undermine the very foundations of American democracy.  And for that, you no longer have my respect.

1. https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/18/opinions/trump-vs-democracy-election-lawsuits-avlon/index.html

I am really curious as to why people want to continue living under this pandemic.  It certainly hasn’t been any fun.  Businesses have been shuttered.  Millions of Americans are unemployed.  Over 11,000,000 million Americans have been infected by this virus.  Hospitals are at capacity in several states.  Cases are continuing to surge and about a quarter of a million Americans have died so far with predictions indicating another 200,000 deaths are well within the realm of possibility within the next two or three months.  And yet with all of this, it seems as if a lot of people just don’t care and are unwilling to make small sacrifices to help stem the spread of this deadly enemy.

The simple act of wearing a mask has become a political statement.  Some argue that it is a matter of ‘freedom’.  Some governors who have resisted public health recommendations, such as Governor Kristi Noem of South Dakota, have taken the position that they leave it up to individuals to make informed decisions.  Unfortunately, Governor Noem’s lack of taking aggressive action has resulted in South Dakota having one of the highest positivity rates in the country and hospitals in South Dakota are in crisis.

Given Governor Noem’s thinking, I think she should repeal all of the DUI laws in South Dakota in the hopes that people will make informed rational decisions to not drink and drive because they might endanger others lives.  After all, they should be ‘free’ to live their lives how they choose without any interference from the government.  That obviously won’t happen because we all know that argument is both ridiculous and dangerous.  Personally, I fail to see the difference between a mask mandate and DUI laws.  I cherish my freedom as much as the next person but freedom is not a license to act recklessly and endanger other individuals.

I fully expect Montana to follow in the steps of South Dakota and other mid-western states that have resisted mask mandates and public health measures when Governor-elect Gianforte takes office in January.  The current governor, Steve Bullock, has implemented a state wide mask mandate because cases in Montana are surging.  However, Gianforte has said he will repeal such a mandate because his thinking is similar to Governor Noem’s.  It’s going to be a tough few month up here in ‘the last best place.’

Yes, it appears there is a vaccine on the horizon but it will be well into next year before a significant number of Americans are vaccinated.  It is a huge challenge to go from ‘there is a vaccine’ to ‘anyone who wants it can go to their local CVS and get a COVID vaccination’.   The Pfizer vaccine requires special cold storage requirements which will add an extra layer of complexity to the already monumental logistical challenges of rolling this out.   The Moderna vaccine also requires cold storage but the requirements are not as onerous as those for the Pfizer vaccine.  In any case, it will be months before either of these vaccines are widely available to the general population.

Thanksgiving is next week and, in spite of evidence that much of the current community spread is being done through gatherings of family and friends, it is highly likely that in the weeks following Thanksgiving the current surge will accelerate because people could not resist the temptation to get together in large gatherings of people who don’t all live under the same roof.   People will die.  Hospitals will be overwhelmed.  Medical staff will continue to be put at risk during long shifts day after day while watching people die needlessly – and a lot of people will just continue to skate along with an ‘Oh, well’ attitude.

Of course, we’re all tired of life under COVID.  This has been challenging for everyone.  But the fact is that if everyone would just practice some basic, simple things like wearing masks, practicing social distancing and frequent hand washing, we could all get back to some sense of normalcy much sooner and save tens of thousands of lives in the process.  It is just beyond me why these simple things are just too much to ask.  It makes me question what kind of a country we have become.  America had a reputation for years for its ‘can do’ attitude and steel resolve to tackle big problems.  It seems like we have backed away from that and become a nation of people more interested in short term gratification and many unwilling to make any kind of sacrifice to put community and country before self.

When Thanksgiving rolls around next week I will have much to be thankful for.  I will be thankful that I am alive and have the choice to wear a mask.  I will be thankful that I have the choice as to who I invite into my house and spend my time with – and right now that is simply my daughter and her mom who are living with me.   I will be thankful that I have the choice to make decisions that protect myself and those I love.   There are almost 250,000 Americans who have died and will no longer have that choice.  Unfortunately, many of those 250,000 people are dead because they or people around them made bad choices.  Let’s all make sure that we have something to be thankful for NEXT Thanksgiving. 

Trump’s baseless assertions that the 2020 presidential election was ‘rigged’ which is why he lost, continues to undermine the very foundations of our democracy – not that he cares.  And his acolytes continue to fill the coffers of his recently established Super PAC for his legal defense fund, to retire his campaign debt and to gear up for creating political chaos in the future.  There is, however, another risk I see looming on the horizon with Trump on the loose after he leaves office.

Do you really think Trump will keep his mouth shut after he leaves office?  I don’t mean the usual Twitter rants we’ve all come to know and love or the rambling diatribes on Fox News airing every perceived wrong done to him during his entire life.  Think about the fact that Trump, for the last four years, has had access to the most sensitive intelligence in this country.  Does anyone really think that he will keep a tight lid on this knowledge?  Given his track record of being careless with classified information and security clearances, I personally doubt it.  So, just for fun, think about the following.

The Russians are masters at espionage.  And don’t forget that Vladimir Putin is a former KGB agent.  For me, it is not much of a stretch to envision a scenario in which one or more Russian plants begin to cozy up to Trump through business dealings or just being neighbors in the same Florida neighborhood.  And don’t fool yourself into thinking that these people will have Russian names and speak with Russian accents.  They will have America names, a manufactured American past and speak impeccable English.  If you think such people don’t exist, you are extremely naïve.   They do.

Since Trump is so receptive to flattery and has such a love of any ‘deal’ which will make him money, such individuals could approach Trump by trying to join the country club at Mar A Lago.   Trump loves to talk about himself.  He will be talking about how the election was ‘stolen’ from him for years.  It appears he is in some financial distress.  In espionage circles, he would be considered a prime target.  Skilled agents could pump all kinds of info out of him without him even being aware that he was being used.  I would bet huge amounts of money that Putin has already set the wheels of this or a similar little misadventure in motion.  That should make us all sleep well tonight – not.  “America First” my ass.  It is a 100 percent probability that Trump’s ego will take priority over protecting the interests of the United States of America.

And speaking of putting the country first, it appears that Trump will be a virtual wrecking ball on his way out the door.  He has fired the Secretary of Defense and other top Pentagon officials have either been fired or have resigned only to be replaced by Trump loyalists.  It appears that, in spite of most of his current military senior staff telling him that withdrawing troops right now from Afghanistan and Iraq is a really bad idea – he will be issuing the order anyway during this last two months of his presidency.  I guess that’s a little going away present for Joe Biden.

His administration is also trying feverishly to sell licenses to allow oil drilling in the Arctic National Refuge before he leaves office.  Biden will be in the position of having to try to stop it after the fact.  Probably another little present from the current president.   America is currently one of the top energy producers in the world and there is really no urgent reason to do this other than Trump just trying to be an ass on his way out the door.

It is still beyond me why people continue to support this man when a quick look at his legacy looks more like a trail of destruction than ‘Making America Great.’  Hate crimes in the US are at a ten-year high.  It is being reported that Iran’s nuclear stockpile is now 12 times larger than it would have been if Trump had not pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal negotiated with our allies.   Trump pulled out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, engaged in a trade war with China and now 15 nations around the Pacific Rim have signed on to the RCEP trade agreement led by China.  The pandemic is raging out of control across the country and Trump has never, since day one, implemented any kind of a national response to this viral war which has so far resulted in the deaths of almost a quarter of a million Americans.  In spite of a record high stock market, the economy is still teetering on the brink and the national debt is through the roof.  What the hell has this man done to deserve the rabid adulation and following he has. 

He truly reminds me of one of the pastors of these mega-churches who flies around in a private Gulfstream jet, lives in a mansion, has a lavish lifestyle and people continue to follow them no matter what they do.  What the hell?  The sad fact is, even with Trump losing and having divided the nation so deeply, it does not bode well for the long-term survival of America.  He and his followers will continue to spread division, hatred and chaos under some warped interpretation of what patriotism means.

One can only wonder what else Trump has in store for us before he is forced out the door.  It reminds me of someone who has been fired from their job for nonperformance and then decides to engage in as much sabotage as possible before they are escorted out of the building.   I have fired people before and when I did, Human Resources, I and Security walked them directly out of the building, took their badge, disabled their access codes and accounts immediately to ensure they could not cause any more problems.  Given the current childish and dangerous behavior of Trump, the nation would be much better off if that were an option today.

The eye surgery was most interesting.  I was awake during the whole 1 ½ hours except for a brief period at the beginning when they knocked me out long enough to put shots into the area around my eye to deaden it.  It was quite bizarre to see instruments moving around inside my eye as the doc did his thing.  The doctor said all went well.  I had to lie on my left side for three straight days when I got home which was definitely the hardest part.  The vision in my right eye is still not useful but theoretically it will slowly improve over the next few weeks as the gas bubble in my eye dissipates and the swelling goes down.  It won’t be fully functional apparently until after I have cataract surgery in about 6 months.  So, given all of that, I just figured I’d better get used to operating on one eye for a while so here I am again.

I haven’t been able to read too much the last few days but I have seen what has been going via and it seems like nothing much has changed.  Trump continues to refuse to concede in spite of virtually no evidence of widespread voter fraud.  His lawsuits have been thrown out of court right and left and his continued childish behavior is seriously endangering our national security.  If anyone had any doubts about what Trump’s priorities are, this should dispel any notion to any rational person.   If Trump really cared about putting ‘American first’ he would shut up, stop promoting these baseless charges of voter fraud and a rigged election and graciously concede and begin to provide transition help to Biden.  The fact is, as has been so obvious over the last four years, he doesn’t give a crap about America – it’s all about Trump first.

If any are under the delusion that this election is in any way like the Bush-Gore election of 2000, let’s just quickly review that.  First of all, Gore won the popular vote.  The Supreme Court stepped in to stop the vote counting in one state, Florida, and the Bush ‘victory’ came down to about 500 votes in that one state.   In this case, Biden has won the popular vote by more than 5,000,000 votes and has a substantial advantage in the electoral college.   This election is absolutely nothing like the 2000 election and there is zero reason for the Supreme Court to get involved.   Gore had a much, much stronger case to contest the election and he finally conceded because he saw it was in the best interest of the country.  It will, obviously, be a cold day in hell when Trump does anything remotely similar.

As Trump sulks in his quarters at the White House, it appears that he has virtually abdicated his job.  The pandemic rages out of control and, again, if Trump gave one damn about this country rather than his fragile ego, he would be working with the Biden administration to ensure that the transition is seamless in an effort to save American lives and to try to get this pandemic under some semblance of control.  The simple fact is, Trump doesn’t give a damn about American lives and views people as just pawns to be manipulated to his supposed advantage.  If there is a large amount of ‘collateral damage’, that’s just the way it is. 

I think I ended the last post I wrote stating that the damage caused by Trump to this country is likely irreparable.   He has actively sought to undermine the fundamental foundations of our democracy.  He has grossly mishandled the nation’s response to this pandemic.  He has sown division, hatred and partisanship rather than trying in any way shape or form to unite this country.  He has ceded America’s position on the world stage and has done huge damage to long time alliances.

Along those lines, it was announced that the largest trade deal in history was signed by 15 nations in the Pacific.  The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is led by China and, although it will no doubt have its bumps, it is an economic and political win for China.  If you recall, Trump pulled the US out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal which would have provided a huge political economic and political win for the US in the Asia region and now that vacuum has been filled by China.  It was 100 percent predictable and yet, Trump, ‘Mr. Deal Maker’, let his ego and his lack of strategic vision get in the way. 

While Trump was pulling out of the TPP and engaging in a trade war with China, the Chinese were busy outmaneuvering the US in the Pacific for political and economic gain.  The trade war did little for the US except cost American consumers money.   In the future, when American farmers and businessman complain that places like Australia have better access to Chinese markets for commodities like beef, perhaps they should look towards Donald J. Trump for his short-sighted, ego-driven policies. 

I have no doubt that President Trump will go down as one of the worst presidents in American history.  His legacy will not be one of accomplishments.  His legacy will be one of destruction, division and damage to America’s standing around the world.  I think the scars left by Trump’s presidency are so deep, that a full recovery is almost impossible.  And the longer and louder Trump and his supporters refuse to concede and allow the country to move ahead, the higher the probability that this country will never heal and once again become the beacon of democracy around the world.

I’m having surgery tomorrow to fix a vitreous hemorrhage, a small retinal tear and a partially detached retina in my right eye.   I’m hoping that the veterinarian I found up here knows what he’s doing.   I’m not sure how long I will be out of commission, but I will likely be taking a brief break from the keyboard.  I thought my vision was getting better but after a battery of tests today, the doctor informed me that my perception did not match reality and, in fact, my eye was in worse shape than I thought.  I guess Donald Trump and I have a common problem of trying to distinguish between wishful thinking and reality.   2020 – what a year!! 

Today is Veteran’s Day.  It is appalling that we are in the midst of this mess being created by Trump’s refusal to concede this election in spite of zero evidence of widespread voter fraud.  Thousands of men and women have fought and died for this country to preserve and defend the US Constitution and the institutions of American democracy.  It is a huge insult to each and every man and woman (and their families) who have served in the military and sacrificed so much to watch Trump rip this country apart.  I truly hope all of their sacrifices were not in vain.

Once again Trump’s followers are being conned and they are swallowing it hook, line and sinker.  In spite of the fact that there has been no credible evidence of widespread voter fraud anywhere which so far has resulted in virtually all of the lawsuits alleging such have been thrown out of court, Trump and his allies continue to make these unfounded allegations.  Why?  Think about it.  They have started raising money for a legal defense fund on the basis of these allegations.

However, if you read the fine print of these solicitations, they state that 60% of the funds will be used to retire existing campaign debt.  The other 40% will go to the RNC general fund.  Some of that 40% could very well be used for legal fees.  However, there is nothing to preclude some portion of those funds to go to things like pouring funds into the upcoming Senate runoff races in Georgia which are critical to the Republican Party retaining control of the Senate.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that once Trump concedes, these funds will dry up.  And if these funds dry up, then the funds required to payoff campaign debt and fund a media blitz in Georgia will have to come from other sources.  It is in Trump’s and the Republican Party’s best interest to keep this ‘voter fraud’ narrative alive as long as they can to ensure they raise as much money as possible.  Trump and his cronies understand the odds are against them of flipping the results of the election.  They also certainly understand that once they concede, the money dries up.  And I guess they have made the tradeoff and have decided that whatever money they expect to be raised is worth sacrificing America’s image as the beacon of democracy around the world that has been the hallmark of this country for over two hundred years.

Trump and his cronies may also be trying throw up a legal shit storm in the hopes of delaying the certification of votes which leads to the selection of delegates for the Electoral College.  If they were successful in doing this, they would certainly be counting on a Republican Governors to select a full slate of Republican Electors regardless of how the election actually turned out in a given state.  This is, no doubt, a hail Mary pass but no one should underestimate the lengths that Donald Trump will go to in an attempt to stay in power.  As I have stated before, it is the only thing that stands between him and a whole raft of legal and financial problems.  It is my fervent hope that the Democrats have assembled a team of lawyers who have thought through every conceivable Machiavellian plot that Trump might try and have gamed it out.  This should not be the way democracy works but it certainly seems that is the game we are playing.

Everyone should think about this as we watch Trump’s continued actions.  Joe Biden’s lead in the popular vote is over 4.6 million votes reflecting the wishes of 75 million Americans.  We have all witnessed the spontaneous celebrations in the street when the election was called for Biden.  How do you think those 75 million people in this country would react if Trump were to steal the election through questionable legal and political maneuvering?  I believe that it would rip this country apart.  Trump understands that as well, which is why his latest moves at the Pentagon are particularly disturbing. 

The Trump administration has fired or seen the resignation of four top Pentagon officials since Monday, all of whom have been replaced by perceived Trump loyalists.   Secretary of State, Mark Esper, was fired primarily because he opposed Trump’s desire to deploy US military personnel under the Insurrection Act to quell protests.  The other officials that have now been replaced supported Esper in that decision.  There are now Trump loyalists in those positions.  If one were paranoid, one could believe that Trump is planning something that will result in protests and now perhaps he will have the ability and backing in the Pentagon to deploy US troops against those protests.  The Pentagon is nervous – as should be the rest of the country.  This is a highly unusual move for a lame duck president to make, but not all that unusual for two-bit dictators. 

It is not hard to imagine a scenario where the fiery and baseless claims of voter fraud, rabid support of Trump’s AR-15 armed followers and now with perhaps US troops at his disposal, protests against Trump could actually lead to blood in the streets.  Is this really the America we want to live in?  How much must this country pay to satisfy Trump’s ego?  Will Trump ever cross a bridge too far for his Republican supporters to finally break their deafening silence or get up off their knees at the altar of Trump and find the courage and principles to put the United States of America before their addiction to power?  Thus far, it certainly doesn’t seem probable.

As I previously stated, I will not rest easy until a moving van with Trump’s stuff pulls away from the White House.  If that moving van doesn’t show up and Trump continues to squat illegally in the White House after January 20, 2021, I guess I’ll have to make a decision as to whether or not I want to live in the United Dictatorship of Trump.  Just kidding – I’ve already made that decision.  Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that – I hate moving!

If anyone still has any doubts about where Trump’s loyalties lie, there should no longer be any question about the fact that Trump puts Trump first and his ‘America first’ statement is nothing more than a cheap slogan.  Yesterday, Trump fired the Secretary of Defense, Mark Esper, in what is likely to be the first of many in his slash and burn strategy going out the door.  Both CIA director, Gina Haspel, and FBI director, Christopher Wray, are also rumored to be on the chopping block.  Think about that – the Secretary of Defense, the CIA Director and the Director of the FBI all fired within a short span of time by a lame duck president.  Is that really putting ‘America first’?  Putin and Xi are laughing their asses off and planning to do who knows what.

These positions are at the heart of our national security.  And even though temporary personnel (not Senate confirmed) will fill these positions, it is still making this country extremely vulnerable.   If Trump gave one whit about America, he would not be doing these things.  But it just goes to show that his pettiness and penchant for settling personal scores against people who have not shown the requisite amount of loyalty (read that as the ability to say ‘yes, Mr. Trump’) is more important than protecting the United States of America.

I know that many of us breathed a sigh of relief when the national election was called for Joe Biden.  However, the next two months are going to be extremely turbulent given that this transition is starting off with Trump refusing to concede, his team filing a flurry of lawsuits, a number of personnel firings in the offing, and who knows what else.  No one should relax and think its all over and it will magically turn to sunshine and lollipops.  This is going to get really, really ugly and could potentially turn into the largest Constitutional crisis since the Civil War.  I don’t believe that’s hyperbole.

I have no doubt that Trump and his team understand the math and know that Trump does not have enough votes to legitimately win the Electoral College.  That said, I believe that they will do everything they can to try to ‘win’ this election via rogue electors in the Electoral College, throwing this election into the House of Representatives via enacting legal delays, and taking whatever specious case they can muster to the Supreme Court.    Is this America?  Is this democracy?  No! This is what is done in corrupt authoritarian regimes around the world.

When you do a review of Trump’s business ventures over the years, you see that he has left a trail of destruction behind him virtually his entire adult life.  There is a long list of bankruptcies, unpaid contractors, lawsuits, scandals, lies and very little else.   When Trump was a businessman and TV celebrity, his actions were somewhat contained to those who were unfortunate enough to have to deal with ‘Trump world.’  Now, Trump’s actions are directly impacting not only the national security of the United States but the very foundations of our democracy.  Everyone, whether you voted for Trump or Biden, should be outraged that we have a president who is acting like a petulant child as opposed to the leader of the free world.  Unfortunately, it seems like Trump’s supporters seem all to willing to believe baseless conspiracy theories and sacrifice our democracy on the altar of Donald Trump.

Voter turnout and participation in this country has often been a problem.  Compared to many other democracies around the world, the percentage of registered voters who actually cast votes in the United States is way down the list.   In this presidential election there was a record turnout of voters.  Both candidates received more votes than any other president in the history of the United States.  Trump received over 70 million votes.  However, Biden received 4.6 million votes more than that.  Everyone in this country should be happy that there was such a significant increase in voter participation.  That is a sign of a robust democracy. 

However, casting aspersions on the outcome of the election after a record voter turnout because you don’t like the outcome, just serves to undermine the democratic principles upon which this country was built.  To date, in spite of all of the rhetoric, there has been no credible evidence of widespread voter fraud presented.  Wishful thinking, baseless conspiracy theories, and propaganda do not qualify as evidence. 

I suspect the next couple of months are going to be extremely rocky.  Trump will do everything in his power to undermine and stall the transition to a new administration which is unprecedented in modern American history and completely contrary to our history of a peaceful transition of power from one administration to the other.  The firing of Secretary of Defense, Mark Esper, and the Trump administration’s refusal to release funding from the GSA to facilitate the transition are just the first of many more petty moves to come.   This administration will continue to endanger this country, embolden our adversaries and embarrass us in the eyes of the world until the bitter end.   It is a truly pathetic spectacle to watch.  The most disturbing thing is that, even if Trump is finally dragged out of the White House, the polarization and distrust of our democratic institutions that he leaves in his wake, is likely irreparable.

I am still operating on one eye and am adapting to being a cyclops.  The good news is that, after two trips to the ophthalmologist, it does not appear that there is a retinal tear, however, I have experienced what is known as a vitreous hemorrhage.  This has resulted in a bunch of blood inside my eye causing very blurred vision.   I see the retinal specialist tomorrow and I’ll find out if he wants to wait a while longer to see if it clears up on its own or if surgery is in order.  [I’m sure that would be a lot of fun – someone sticking needles and instruments directly into your eye!!]

 Reading and writing are a bit challenging but once again I feel the need to vent about what is going on with this continued assault on our democracy.  We were all taught in school that, in a democracy, when there is an election, the votes are counted and the person getting the most votes is declared the winner.  It seems like a pretty simple concept.  Of course, back in the dark ages when I went to school, it was before the time of social media and massive litigation campaigns were a factor in what is supposed to be a democratic election.

Trump has been setting the stage for this whole ‘voter fraud’ argument for months, so what is going on now should come as no surprise to anyone.  In spite of the fact that there is virtually zero evidence of widespread voter fraud, Trump and his acolytes continue to insist that the election was ‘stolen’.  I guess people forget that Trump flipped the ‘blue wall’ states in the last election by very thin margins.  None of those states were a landslide victory for Trump.  Given that, it should be no surprise that they could flip the other way.  Further, people seem to have forgotten that all of the US intelligence agencies agreed that there was significant Russian interference in the 2016 election with the sole intent of getting Trump elected. It seems to me that any arguments about ‘voter fraud’ are standing on pretty thin ice.

The popular vote clearly went to Biden by over 4 million votes.  If you recall, in the 2016 election, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by over 3 million votes.  Trump appointed a commission to look for all of the ‘illegal votes’ that caused him to lose the popular vote and they were disbanded because they found nothing.   The same is true now.  The fact is, over 4 million more people in America voted for Biden rather than Trump and if it weren’t for the arcane vagaries of the electoral college, this would be over.

If you look at the remaining ‘battleground’ states and the vote counts, it is clear that Biden will win all of those states, with the possible exception of Arizona but it appears he will win that as well.  And given the history of recounts, it is highly unlikely that any recount will change the results enough to affect the outcome. Trump and his team are well aware of that.  So, what is their strategy?

Their strategy is two-fold.  They are going to mount a media blitz to get his base all fired up claiming that, in spite of zero evidence, the election was stolen.  Secondly, they will file a flurry of lawsuits in the hopes that 1) something will stick and 2) they will continue to delay the process with the hope that the election will ultimately be thrown into the House of Representatives.  This is not democracy.  This is, in fact, an attempt to steal an election in which the American people have spoken.

Frankly, I am quite tired of Trump supporters wrapping themselves in the American flag claiming to be patriots when what they are doing is the least patriotic thing they could be doing.   The foundation of democracy is the exercise of free and fair elections and the peaceful transfer of power.   Trump and his supporters are advocating for the exact opposite of this, which is exactly what happens in dictatorships and authoritarian regimes around the world. 

If Trump and his followers have concrete evidence of voter fraud, they need to produce that evidence and let the legal process work it out.  Rumors, wishful thinking and baseless conspiracy theories are not evidence.  So far, every single lawsuit the Trump campaign have filed has been thrown out of court, with the exception of one, which had no significance on anything other than to let observers stand a bit closer to the vote counters.  There is no doubt that Trump’s legal team understands that almost none of these lawsuits have any merit and are simply part of the process to cloud the issue and delay the process. 

This situation is not even close to the Bush-Gore election that was decided by the Supreme Court.  That election involved a few hundred votes in one state.  Biden is leading by thousands of votes in four states.  So, why is Trump fighting this so hard?  In previous posts I have outlined my theory.  Trump understands that he is facing a lot of legal jeopardy, particularly at the state level, once he leaves office.  That is what is really at work here.  He doesn’t care about ‘democracy’.  He cares about protecting his own ass and he is using all of his acolytes and this false narrative of ‘voter fraud’ and ‘election stealing’ to try to cling to the protection of being president.  He and his family all understand that once they are regular citizens, they will be subject to the same laws as the rest of us – and, if you believe Michael Cohen and others, they are likely facing a lot of legal and financial problems

I am hoping that our democracy is strong enough to withstand this assault over the next 72 days.  Personally, I will not rest easy until the moving van is loaded up and pulls away from the White House.  Hopefully I, and the rest of the world, will start seeing the future more clearly after that.