I am afraid, terribly afraid. Some may even call me alarmist. However…
Let’s look at the big picture.
- Trump will do anything to win. So far he has won the US Presidency. What is next? Leader of the world? Richest man in the world? Or both?
- Hitler’s second in command was Herman Goering. Trump’s is Steve Bannon. All amoral.
- Trump’s ideology is very simple, do whatever it takes to win. Deception, prevarication, diversion are all part and parcel of his strategy. Again, totally amoral.
- One thing I have learned is that for Trump, telling the truth means having one small correct fact mixed in with a large dollop of falsehoods. The only thing that we can count on is that he tells us what he wants us to believe. Clearly an alternate reality. Integrity and transparency are not in his vocabulary.
- The US has by far the strongest military in the world. Our excuse for that is that we protect the peace. Until Trump, our Commanders-in-Chief have mostly been sober, responsible men. Trump is not.
- I can imagine that out of this “excluding terrorists” executive order, relations with numerous foreign countries will deteriorate. Perhaps so much so that Trump takes us to war with one or more of them. Find some excuse that the American public can be persuaded to buy. Perhaps in the name of fighting terrorism. Perhaps somewhere else.
- Trump has indicated that he would like to be a war president because then the country would be behind him. Support the military and all that goes with it.
- I wouldn’t be surprised if we were at war in six months.
- There are a lot of right wing people out there, many of them white nationalists. Many are in law enforcement. Witness the issues with some police which triggered Black Lives Matter. Witness the Bundy family. Witness the willful failure of some customs agents to obey the court orders. Many in law enforcement are firmly in Trump’s corner. Potential for big trouble? Will they be Trump’s Storm Troopers?
- We have seen many times already what happens when someone challenges Trump. He severely denigrates them. The press gives us “fake news”. McCain and Graham were accused of wanting to start WW III. The judicial orders which ordered the Muslim travelers be admitted not only were ignored but were countermanded by the WH.
- The WH directory now does not reference the Judiciary. That reference was deleted with the new administration. So much for indications of supporting the Constitution and enforcing the rule of law.
- One observer of Trump noted that we need to look beyond the tweet-storm and beyond the continuing false statements. These are all a smokescreen hiding what he really wants to do. What is his likely goal? Is it war?
- In the midst of all the demonstrations over the weekend, someone asked Trump what he thought of them. His reply “Things are coming along nicely.” In other words, he expected the demonstrations. What else is he expecting of the Resistance? What should we expect for his counter moves? Then more importantly, what will our moves be after them?
I am afraid, terribly afraid.
Are my fears overblown?
What can we do? I welcome your suggestions.