“No one is such a liar as the indignant Man” — (Nietzsche: Beyond Good and Evil)

by Barry Hastings

I see and hear many folks beating around the bush, like a bunch of little kids trying to scare rabbits out of a tangle of brush, but no one with the cojones to come right out and say it. So I will say it, right here at townbroadcast.com: “I believe our new President is mentally ill, a serious threat to the safety and well-being of us, our long-time friends and allies, and the safety of the entire world, on several (even many) fronts; those, particularly, the nuclear war question, global warming, human and American civil rights, and our traditional “Four Freedoms.”

He’ll tell the wildest lies to avoid the appearance of being one-upped (as when Mexico’s President canceled their meeting, and hours later, Trump ‘claimed’ it was by ‘mutual agreement, which it certainly was not). Bravo, Mexico!

Now, that wasn’t so hard to say, was it? Don’t be afraid to try it — if you think he’s nutty as a fruitcake, say so — “I think our new President sounds as crazy as a Big Star Lake Loon.” I know I feel a lot better for letting it it out; telling friends, acquaintances, and neighbors exactly what I think of this nut job. He does not love our nation, loves only himself — an egoistic, sybaritic, narcissist… and plain damn fool if he thinks he can run this place like his buddy Vladimir runs Russia.

It’s what he’s trying to do with this flurry of poorly thought out measures, I’ve never seen a President have to ‘come-back later’ to to explain so much, to so many, and forced to modify everything — does he do this as part of a confusing shell-game, while working a set of shells with each hand?

Now he’s ‘in-charge,’ and he’s tearing at the edges of the Constitution like an idiot pulling threads out of his shirt, and things are happening faster than the under-educated products of our failed schools who elected him, can begin to contemplate cause, or effect.

Years ago, before Nixon, Reagan, the Shrub, and D. T., men and women of their ilk wouldn’t have had a chance at being elected to leadership positions in America or Europe (We’d recently fought the biggest war in history, to get rid of several unloveable dictators, and still had a few around). Now, they’re springing up like mushrooms on a hot day in early May, again, particularly across the European continent (where governments already have their hands full, warding off the politically glutinous Russian monolith).

As one National Public Radio broadcaster said last Friday, “Trump governs by impulse.” He cannot take any kind of criticism, tweets lies and misleading information compulsively, and must always claim (and be able to convince himself) he’s in charge of events, even though it’s clear to thinking folks, he’s not. In this regard alone, I ask members of Congress, “Has it occurred to you the President is mentally ill?

“The chaos he causes,” said David Brooks last Friday, “is greater than any good he can do.” Brooks also suggested his seemingly crazy acts are cover for even darker moves to come.

If Twitter would follow facebook’s model by sorting out “fake news,” a lot of Trump confusion and contention might be nipped in the bud, or, at least greatly reduced

It’s happening nearly everywhere we look in the Western democracies, where people have it made (compared to most of the rest of earth’s population). Don’t get sucked into this Republican dog and pony show — they almost always end in some kind of very costly problems. They start wars. Big money gets much bigger, regular people get the proverbial shaft. You don’t think rich people’s kids are gonna’ fight World War III, do you? We’re fighting an uprising of know-nothings across and throughout the Western democracies.

Every time Trump opens his mouth (or his twitter account) our standing as leaders of the free world is diminished. Because he can’t deal with the fact Hillary Clinton defeated him by 2 &1/2 or three million popular votes, he’s spending big bucks to “investigate illegal voting” across the nation. Yet the Republican-controlled NASS (National Association of Secretaries of State), says there is no evidence “in the nation” of large-scale, organized voter fraud. South Carolina U.S. Senator Lindsay Graham says it’s all, “Hogwash,” and if the President has proof, he should, “Bring it to the Senate, or shut up about it!”

Many writers, columnists, and pundits are poking the same kind of cynically humorous taunts at the Donald, as those previously hurled at Nixon and the Shrub, and with more than ample reason. He’s not the first horse’s ass to occupy the office. His horse’s assedness just became obvious earlier than theirs (though far too many of us ignored it far too long). People can complain about the Press (for this reason or that), but certainly not about having no forewarning of the current turkey takeover.

Trump’s latest fiasco, the (anti) immigrant “operation” at the end of January, probably broke more immigration laws than than you could count on one set of fingers. It even offended the Koch Brothers (bottomless well of dollars for unpopular right wing causes they are known to be), who issued a scathing rant regarding economic troubles it will likely generate. Look for more to come — from more, sources, very shortly. (And they began appearing, as I expected).

The buzz is, the whole operation was, poorly “vetted” (that catch-all term supporting successes, deploring failure.) Well-vetted is the opposite of “poorly vetted.” For years we’ve been biggest hope of hundreds of millions of human beings. It seems to me Trump is trying to make us the “most-hated,” and quickly succeeding

And did you see the picture the administration released (over the week-end) of the scuzzy looking Steve Bannon, Trump’s near-Nazi White House policy adviser. An extreme right-winger, he’s been appointed to the National Security Council. He appears (in the photo, and usually,) an alcoholic bum someone dragged-in from D.C.’s ‘skid row,’ scruffy beard, wrinkled blue jeans, fat gut.

The neo-Nazi in the White House, has an old-line Nazi adviser sitting in the NSC, wonderfully reassuring to our citizens of color, or of religions other than Christian. Before we know it, they’ll be building gigantic ovens in Mississippi and Alabama, and slave-labor camps in isolated locales around the less densely populated regions of the nation.

I see they’re still trying to rehabilitate the lying felon, General Petraeous. If the Trump folks put this twit in charge of military action (anywhere), they’re asking for the same kind of failure he delivered in the Bush administration’s Iraq invasion plans, and the bitter failure of “the surge.” He’s not trustworthy, and delivered “top secret” material to his reporter girlfriend so she could use it writing his biography. She still had the material when he told a federal judge (while under oath) it was all, ” in his possession.”

This isn’t the kind of conduct we expect from our military officers, but it pays citizens to remember General James Wilkinson (spied on us for the King of Spain), Benedict Arnold (who sold out for a Brigadier’s commission in King George’s Royal Army), Robert E. Lee (sold out to preserve slavery and a Southern Gentleman’s way of life), Oliver North, (sold out to preserve Reagan), and Admiral Tom Poindexter, (ditto). General Petraeous deserves, via conviction in federal court, to be added to this list of dishonored military men.

Meanwhile, many upper-level, mid-level (experienced), and even low-level State Department officials are resigning, or retiring, because (as one put it late last week), we, “don’t want to have to carry-out Trump’s foreign policies.” In the State Department, discussions are again ongoing regarding MidEast “safe zones” and “no fly zones.” They’re possible strategies rejected by the last two administrations as too costly, and difficult — or inability, in Obama’s administration (sequestration of funds, again, and not enough available soldiers), for the military to carry out.

P.S. Last week I drove to the VA in Battle Creek, twice, and the early annual break-up of our roads and highways is highly noticeable. The funds to repair them (OK’d by the legislature a year or so ago) won’t even be available (under their kick the can down-the-road plan) in the state’s coffers until 2021. Talk about people who ought to be dragged out behind the barn and shot.

Lots of ammo for use against them provided by this incompetent lot, nationally, statewide, and locally. Every day, around the clock.