June 30, 2020

In the field of psychology, cognitive dissonance occurs when a person holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values, or participates in an action that goes against one of these three, and experiences psychological stress because of that. According to this theory, when two actions or ideas are not psychologically consistent with each other, people will do all in their power to change them until they become consistent. The discomfort is triggered by the person’s belief clashing with new evidence (facts) perceived, wherein they will try to find a way to resolve the contradiction to reduce their discomfort.

For those of us in the majority who despise Donald Trump, there is no cognitive dissonance. Every day, Trump validates our beliefs. Whether it be ignoring intelligence briefings, tweeting white power messages, trying to dismantle the ACA, or endorsing restrictions on abortion and LGBQT individuals, it is exactly as we expected. However, his supporters must get migraines every morning when they read the news. The guy they voted for is trampling our shared norms and values, and they have to justify his actions every day. Their heads must be ready to explode. What sort of mental gymnastics do you have to do while you drink your coffee and eat your breakfast? What lamebrain rationalization are you going to come up with to help you make it through another day of chaos? Now, you have to ignore the fact that Trump ignored intelligence briefings about Russia paying bounties to kill American troops in Afghanistan. Have a nice day. I have some Prozac if you need it.

June 29, 2020

I don’t think Cadet Bone Spurs will be welcomed by the troops anytime soon. He has maligned war hero John McCain, insulted a Gold Star family, sent troops to the border to deter immigrants, lied about military budgets and pay raises, forced West Point cadets to travel and assemble during a pandemic, used the military to attack peaceful protesters, and was roundly criticized by current and former members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Now we have the President ignoring intelligence about the Russians offering bounties to kill American troops in Afghanistan, and then lying about it. I am not sure what it will take to move Trump’s base, but hopefully patriotism will be it. Trump may be able to kill someone on Fifth Ave., but will his base be able to ignore troops being killed on the streets of Kabul?

June 25, 2020

I agree with a previous submission that it is dangerous to cite the President’s difficulties walking down a ramp, his fumbling of a glass of water, his morbid obesity, his slurring of words, his trip to Walter Read, his abysmal diet, his sniffling, his lack of exercise, his inability to complete a thought, and his dubious health reports and assume he has a health problem. The same goes for arm chair psychiatrists, who believe that Trump is a narcissist with an authoritarian personality.

In 2016, the Trump campaign ran an ad, titled “Dangerous,” which used footage of Hilary Clinton’s fainting episode at a 9/11 anniversary event, along with a brief clip of the former secretary of state coughing and a photo of her being assisted up the stairs, to cast doubt on her fitness for office. “Hillary Clinton doesn’t have the fortitude, strength or stamina to lead in our world,” the narrator said in the ad. One of the themes Trump and Fox has been flogging this year is Biden’s fitness for office. Let’s focus on a real health problem…Trump’s disastrous response to the pandemic and the over 120,000 dead.

June 24, 2020

In Arthur Miller’s play, “Death of a Salesman,” Willy Loman commits suicide. This is fiction. In the non-fiction category, one has to ask why our Salesman in Chief is committing political suicide. He is doing everything he can to not get elected, and the polls bear it out. He continues to ignore the pandemic; he stokes racism; he flogs his wall; he uses his Attorney General to obstruct justice, and so on. He is on the wrong side of almost every issue that the majority of Americans deem important like climate change, gay rights, and gun control.

The reason, in my opinion, is that Donald Trump is more interested in maintaining his brand than leading the country. He is preparing for private life after the election. He is already laying the groundwork for calling the election rigged so he can continue to sell his snake oil to his base. Maybe he has aspirations to get back on television. There have been stories about Trump wanting to start a Fox-like network. He is willing to infect and kill his followers with COVID. Maybe he just kidding.

June 23, 2020

Arthur Miller’s play “Death of a Salesman” addresses loss of identity and a man’s inability to accept change within himself and society. Here are the characters.

• William “Willy” Loman: The salesman. He is 63 years old and unstable, insecure, and self-deluded. Willy tends to re-imagine events from the past as if they were real. He vacillates between different eras of his life. Willy seems childlike and relies on others for support, coupled with his recurring flashbacks to various moments throughout his career.

• Linda Loman: Willy’s loyal and loving wife. Linda is passively supportive and docile when Willy talks unrealistically about hopes for the future, although she seems to have a good knowledge of what is really going on.

• Biff Loman: Willy’s elder son. Biff was a football star with a lot of potential in high school, but failed math his senior year and dropped out of summer school when he saw Willy with another woman while visiting him in Boston.

• Harold “Happy” Loman: Willy’s younger son. He has lived in the shadow of his older brother Biff most of his life and seems to be almost ignored, but he still tries to be supportive toward his family. He is always looking for approval from his parents, but he rarely gets any.

As Trump returned from his catastrophic campaign rally in Oklahoma, he looked to all the world as the apotheosis of Willy Lyman, a broken and defeated salesman. Arthur Miller’s play written in 1949 is truly prophetic.

June 20, 2020

On November 18, 1978, 909 men women, and children committed a mass suicide at the behest of their leader, Jim Jones, by drinking Kool-Aid laced with cyanide. What amazed everyone at the time was the power that one man could exercise over the thoughts and actions of such a large number of people. Now we have a man in the White House exerting a similar influence, and the people of Oklahoma are more than willing to drink his Kool-Aid.

Trump is inviting 20,000 or more followers to join him in an unprotected campaign rally. All they have to do is sign an online waiver absolving him of any blame if they get sick and die. This is happening at the same time that the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the state is still rising. This is what the experts call a super spreader event, only this time it is not a backyard barbecue. When the expected fallout hits Oklahoma, its hospitals, its healthcare workers, and its morgues will be overrun. The school colors of the University of Oklahoma are crimson and cream, which sounds like a flavor of Kool-Aid. “Doomer Sooner.”

June 18, 2020

One of the benefits of the pandemic and stay at home orders, in addition to eating healthier, less, and cheaper, is having the time to do more reading. My reading list keeps growing. I am reading “Countdown:1945” by Fox newsman, Chris Wallace. One of my virtual book groups is reading “Exercise is Medicine” by Judy Foreman. Another group will be discussing “Stoney the Road” by Robert Gates. It is a delightful challenge to keep up.

I will not be adding John Bolton’s book, “The Room Where it Happened.” Bolton had his chance to serve the American people, and he failed. I don’t feel any obligation to support him financially. By the time his book tour is over with TV and newspaper interviews, we will know more about the depravity of Trump, and his utter incompetence. We will know about begging China for election help and sacrificing the Uighurs in the process; we will know about his ignorance about Finland and Great Britain; we will have one more confirmation about Ukraine, and we will know how people close to the President and the U.S. Senate did not do their duty. We have all read this book before.

June 17, 2020

John Bolton wants to publish his front row account of his experiences as National Security Advisor on Tuesday. It has already been cleared by the government, which certified that there is no classified information in the book. It is expected that the book will not be flattering, and will state that the Ukraine quid pro quo was not an aberration. Trump’s response…sue him. Trump’s niece is also planning an unflattering, tell-all book, chronicling how her side of the Trump family got screwed by Trump and his children in the settlement of Fred Trump’s estate. Trump’s response…sue her. Trump’s response to anything he perceives as negative is I’ll see you in court. For Trump, the legal system is a weapon to use against his foes.

Trump is absolutely petrified about having to leave the Oval Office and the protections it provides. There are numerous lawsuits awaiting him, which are just adding to his documented count of 3,500 per the ABA over his career. Obstructions of justice, Stormy Daniels et. al., violations of the Emoluments Clause, inaugural funds fraud, money laundering, and more loom. In the meantime, Trump and Barr’s Justice Department are not just part of the swamp. They are a sewer.