This afternoon, I saw a movie that was made in 1988, titled, “Mississippi Burning.”

It was about the KKK murder of three civil rights workers named Chaney, Schwerner and Goodwin. One black Christian and two white Jews who were murdered by the KKK in the summer of 1964 because they were trying to register voters in Mississippi.

The despicable KKK thugs were eventually brought to justice, (of sorts), but America has not lived happily ever after.

Lynden Johnson was the president back then, and, when he got the civil rights and voting rights bills through congress, he said that the South was lost to Democrats for a generation.

Well, it’s been far more than a generation and it’s been far more than the South. Today, it’s the entire Republican Party that is surviving and thriving, in many regions of the country, under the banner of racism and hatred.

And at this moment in history, the Oval Office is occupied by someone who is using the ignorance, hatred and racism of a minority of Americans, to expand and consolidate his own power, and to satisfy his lust for more wealth and his insatiable ego.

Forget that “slippery slope” meme. We’re well down that water slide and accelerating.

It seems that the only power we have left is the vote. But we don’t get to do that until four months from now. And by then, the highest court in the land may well be occupied by a majority of people who have no problem with the current destruction of American democracy.

So is there a point to this recital of history and where we are now?

Yes. The point is that a minority of people with no conscience, morality, or decency, now hold all the levers of power in America. It may already be too late to stop this juggernaut of fascism. But unless we somehow can stop it, or slow it down, it will devour American democracy, human decency and all of us who understand what’s happening.

This is more than a rant. It’s a plea for anyone who has a concept of how to battle this disease to step forward and speak up.

Is there a defensive action we haven’t thought of?

Is there anything that can be done to slow down this horror before we get to vote?

Is there a way to save what is left of the country we thought this was?

As a kid, I was afraid to go to the circus. I liked the high-wire and trapeze acts. I hated lion-tamers who snapped whips at large cats who spent their lives in cages. My heart went out to the magnificent elephants who had to perform stupid tricks in order to get fed.

But mostly, I was afraid of clowns. They terrified me, as they terrified millions of others.

Perhaps there is such a thing as precognition, (a paranormal feeling/instinct about the future). If so, perhaps those of us who were terrified by clowns, were exposed to a warp in the space-time continuum. -- A peek at the future. -- An intuitive awareness that clowns were, somehow, bringers of evil.

The grotesque Trump clown is now having his moment. It was like that moment in the circus when countless clowns spilled out of a small car. We wondered how so many of them could get in there. And now we’re wondering how so many incredible fools and clowns could have gotten into positions of power in the American government.

And some of them aren’t even in the Trump “administration.” They are clowns who work in a circus called “The Republican House of Representatives.” But they’re not throwing pies in the face. Instead, they’re trying to throw a Nobel Peace Prize at the clown-in-chief. They’re throwing tax cuts at their owners. They’re throwing up roadblocks to healthcare for all Americans. They’re spitting on immigrants who are seeking a better life – or just life itself, for their children and themselves.

And now, every day of our lives, the Trump clown draws our attention to his demented activities, -- to the meaningless "thoughts" that develop in his diseased mind and that he spews forth as words or tweets. It's a terrifying show and we are all a captive audience.

No need for a call to send in the clowns. They’re here.

Past time to send them out.

I don’t have Donald Trump’s (supposed) wealth.

I don’t have his fame (or infamy).

I don’t have his possessions.

I don’t have the freedom to do what I want to do, whenever I want to do it.

But there is nothing, absolutely nothing in the world that could make me want to exchange my life for his. (This would be true even if he were not under suspicion of, -- and under investigation for, -- being one of the most corrupt people on the planet.)

Think about it. This is a man who does not enjoy the everyday pleasures of life. He spent his life living in New York City, but do you think he ever went to:

A Broadway play (and stayed awake)?

Lincoln Center?

The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA)?

A peaceful walk in Central Park?

The Statue of Liberty?

The 9/11 Memorial?

And before he was ever president, do you suppose he ever wanted to see:

The Lincoln Memorial?

The Smithsonian?

The Vietnam Memorial – The Wall?

The Library of Congress? (Or any library? Anywhere? Ever?)

Enjoying just sitting on the Washington Mall.

And aside from all the tourist attractions of both cities, do you think this is a man who ever sat around listening to his favorite music album? Does he like music? Is this a man who would hike? Or go bird watching? Or ride a bike? Or gaze in wonder at the Grand Canyon? Or even just enjoy watching kittens play?

Somehow, I don’t think so.

I don’t think he enjoys any of the normal pleasures the world has to offer. I believe that his pleasures are accumulating wealth. Bullying others. Being the center of attention – always. Being adored by everyone. Having total control.

I believe he wishes he were an all-powerful king of old, -- A Pharaoh, -- A Caesar, -- A loved and feared “God on Earth.”

From everything I can see of this man who is currently occupying and despoiling the Oval Office, he cares about nothing in the world except for his own immediate gratification. This is a man who, perhaps, lives in constant anxiety and/or fear that he will be “found out.” A man who is terrified that people will see through him. A man whom everyone will recognize to be empty, hollow, small.

He is a man who has a talent for destroying rather than creating. And he will leave the world a far worse place than he found it.

This is a man who no normal human being would want to be.

This is the horror of being Donald Trump.

Republican “leaders” know that Trump is an ignorant, malicious buffoon who can destroy our economy and, just possibly, stumble his way into a nuclear holocaust. In the meantime, he’s allowing Putin to undermine our democracy. Republicans are the only ones who can stop him, but they won’t. Today's Republican Party is a totally corrupt criminal enterprise that seeks to hold onto power forever. They couldn't care less about what happens to the county. Or the world for that matter.

We’ve come to a strange place in which one simpleton can bring about such havoc. And that's why I believe that the powers of the American presidency must be downgraded. No single person should ever again be allowed to hold the power of (nuclear) life and death over the entire planet, or the well-being of its inhabitants.

Once the orange disease is gone, and once the Republican Party is dragged away from the levers of power, perhaps laws can be passed to limit the damage any president can do. His/her overall powers come from the constitution. But I’d venture to say that much of that power comes from past congresses having not exercised their prerogatives. (As one example, the constitution says that only congress can declare war. The last time that happened was Dec. 8, 1941, so I guess we haven’t had any wars since then.)

Limiting presidential power will be a daunting task. But, as Trump has demonstrated, it’s a necessary one that must be undertaken.

From today's NY Times.



https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/02/opinion/trump-corruption-republic.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region®ion=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region.

Their messaging machine goes into action and all Republicans use the same talking points. They are very good at repeat, repeat, repeat.

Democrats are making sense and doing their best, but they're not putting out a synchronized message.

Basically, the impact of their propaganda is far superior to the reasonable statements being made by Democrats. We've really got to get better at this stuff. That sucks, but that's reality.

It's not enough to have a "blue wave" this coming November.

The Republican Party has become a danger to America. They are Nixon's "Southern Strategy" turned into a full scale, grotesque nightmare. Neo Nazis, Klansmen, religious bigots, and haters of every stripe have come out into the open and are spewing their poison. Some of the blame for this goes to Trump. But the underlying disease is the Republican Party itself. They have been headed in this direction for many years. And they've finally made it.

Democracy cannot survive with a one-party system. If and when the Democrats come back into power, they/we must create an environment in which "sane" Republicans can rebuild a "sane" party.

How? I really don't have the answer to that. And I don't know how many "sane" Republicans still exist, or where they've gone to. But I do know that a rebuilt opposition party is what's needed. The Republican Party, in its present form, cannot be allowed to ever again come to power. And the haters must be denounced, shunned, and pushed back into their caves.

The gun used was the constitution which is backed up by law enforcement and the military.

A scam is when the mark doesn't know he's being conned. But most of us knew fully well we were victims of the biggest robbery in history. Who needs to break into Fort Knox when you can just pass a law to enrich your donors and yourself?

This cannot stand. The instant there is a Democratic president and congress, it should be reversed, as well as all the presidential orders issued by Trump. It will take a while, but our government must be repaired.

And this is not just a case of our tribe vs their tribe. There seems to be something genetically wrong with elected Republicans. They lack empathy and plain human decency. We must ensure that people of their ilk never again come to power.

We know now, because we're on the same horrible path.

The only ones who can (lawfully) stop it right now are the Republicans.

Yet, the Republican Party has chosen to nothing to stop the madness.

So are the rest of us helpless?

Seems so.

And if you think these thoughts are extreme/insane/out of line, how long will you wait to confirm that my beliefs are out of line? And when is "too late," "too late?"

One more thought: Who among us will, in some future day, be saying, "I didn't know." or, "I was only following orders."

Sorry people. This is how it begins.

You wipe. You scrape. You might even try to wash it off.

But, no matter what you do, the smell always seems to be there.

That's the way it's going to be with Trump.

Long after he goes away, the stench will remain with us.