Over the past week Trump has
disambiguated the suspicions that he plans to abuse the power of the Office of
the President to levee attacks against his enemies. There
is no longer ambiguity as to the lengths he will go to punish anyone and
everyone who hints they might disapprove of his actions in office. He has destroyed lives by bringing his
reality show trademark “You’re Fired!” punchline to bear on dozens of Federal
employees. He is firing anyone who is
even suspected of not being a full-fledge Trump supporter. The days of being aghast when James Comey simply
hinted that Trump requested fealty are gone.
Fealty is the new Rule of Law and if you are not bowing down to your
king, you will be gone. The only step
that has yet to be taken is public executions, at least in the literal sense. However, “You’re Fired!” can easily be
replaced with “Off with your head!” in short order. It is a small step to take.
There has also been a public
reward system illustrated this last week for those who have bowed downed to the
king. Seven new pardons were issued by
Trump in the last week to bring the total for his presidency to twenty-five. The use of the pardon is strictly a President’s
right. He has the power to issue a
pardon or clemency to anyone he chooses.
The problem is not that he has issued pardons; it’s to whom these
pardons have gone. Every one of them is a
reward for being a financial supporter of Trump. Bow down, proclaim fealty, fill the coffers
of my campaign committee, and no matter what the crime, you are FREE!
Those of you who listened to
Rachel Maddow this week already know of the comparison she made of this hit-list
mentality to Nixon’s enemies list in 1973.
The country was horror-struck when John Dean revealed this information
about Nixon. When the Watergate Tapes
were released under court order, Nixon’s approval rating plummeted overnight.
It went from a 67% approval rating in January 1973 to 24% approval in August
1974. My question is: “How could there
still be 24 percent of the country approving of this astonishing abuse of power?”
Fast forward 46 years and we have
a president who nakedly admits he is operating the country under the premise
that “if you are not for me, you are against me.” And, if you are against me I’ll
use the full power of the Presidency to ruin your life. The blatant abuse of power that was a shock to
the entire country that forced the resignation of Nixon on August 4, 1974 is
now accepted as a normal, established method of presidential behavior supported by the full power of the government, the Senate and the Courts. Trump currently holds a 49% approval
rating. 49%! How can that be?
What has taken place to change
American ideals to the point that we willingly run to embrace and accept a
president who purposely is destroying our democracy? As we all know, Republicans this summer and
fall will be sending out millions of messages painting all Democrats as evil
socialists that are trying to destroy our country. They will point to bad “banana republic”
regimes in South America as proof of what will happen if a Democrat is elected
to office. Even Michael Bloomberg used the
“communist” label against Bernie in the Nevada debate. This attack labeling will flow furiously
because it is a fear tactic that works.
And yet, we already are in the throes of a “banana republic” regime.
“In economics, a banana republic is a country with an economy of state
capitalism, by which economic model the country is operated as a private commercial
enterprise for the exclusive profit of the ruling class. Such exploitation
is enabled by collusion between the state and favored economic monopolies,
in which the profit, derived from the private exploitation of public lands, is
private property, while the debts incurred thereby are the financial
responsibility of the public treasury.”
Wikipedia
We have been dealing with the
face of Trumpism now for four years.
During that time we have all had friends and relatives who support
Trump. We do not understand how or why
they support him but we have adopted a “no politics discussed here” approach in
order to maintain peace and harmony in our homes and in our work places. If our country can be saved, (and that is a
BIG IF) we are going to have to stop being nice. We have to stand up loudly and call Trump for
what he truly is: a tyrannical oligarch
that uses the full power of the U.S. Government to instill xenophobia into the
masses and funnel wealth into the hands of the very few who support his
Lordship.
Furthermore, it is a very real possibility
that even if we somehow win the election in November and beat Trump, he could declare a national emergency, issue a declaration that the election was a “fraud”,
and refuse to leave office. In today’s
climate with head’s rolling, who is there left to stand up to him? Who will be bold enough to justly remove him
from office, now or ever?
Bow down and announce your fealty
now or stand up and revolt. These are your only two options.
As a chicken I have always lived under the threat of the “off with his
head” mentality of governance. Once you
find yourself on a farm with this Rule of Law there is not much you can do to
save yourself other than keep a low profile and provide the farmer a steady
supply of eggs. Roosters have a more
difficult time at this as, try as we may; eggs are not free-flowing from a roo. The only things we can do is work hard at
keeping the flock safe from attack and keep our heads down when the farmer
enters the yard. Not many of us roosters
live a long, peaceful life when proof of fealty is the requirement for
survival.
Rising up and taking a stance against the insane impropriety of an oligarchic
government is not an easy thing to do.
Many a head will roll. Sheer
numbers and a total revolt are the only answers.
When the numbers are not in your favor then fleeing is all you have left. I have known many a rooster who chose to fly
the coop. The dangers and uncertainty
that await you once you leave the chicken yard are many. If you can get past the coyotes hanging in
wait, there are not many other places out there with open and embracing arms
ready to accept you.
I wish you all the
very best of luck over the next few months… you will need it. Peace, Ollie.
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