Trump, Signaling Tyranny

THE PRESIDENT is properly made up, but still looks much older than recently. Make up and fake hair can only do so much for a nearly eighty year old president. The interview begins. Lights, action, cmamera. The interviewer, an attractive brunette, is probably Trump's type, as most young women are. She is profressionally dressed, and dead serious professional in her demeanor and delivery. She says to Trump: Mr. President, do you believe that it is your duty to uphold and defend the constitution of the United States? Normally, this would be a softball, set up question, but, with Trump's massive violations of constitutional law under his belt, takes on a certain complexity under the circumstances. Shockingly Trump, with only a slight hesitation, replies: "I don't know". Undaunted, the young lady continues: "Do you believe that every person who sets foot on America soil, citizen or immigrant, deserves certain fundamental dignity, fair treatment, and due process underlaw?". Again, the president says "I don't know". The lady briefly looks at the floor, then back at the president with a mildly bemused facial expression, as if to say: "Say what? You really mean that?" This incident, which sounds fictional, like some false narrative or conspiracy theory invented by Trump haters intended to harm Trump, but, always, is nothing of the kind, but rather, a verified, confirmed event, which really happened, and was not only seen by millions of people, but remains forever recored on audio and video. You don't have to make stuff up to make Donald Trump look bad. You need only tell the truth, which in Trump's case, is always easy to back up, using facts. Trump always looks so bad, circumstantially, and has for such a very long time, that he is the object of hatred and disgust for most people, but the cult hero icon for his supporters, to whom his obvious, persistent immorality and criminality are irrelevant. And, for all his pathological dishonesty, he at times makes comments which illuminates his true self. But not knowing whether a president must uphold the constitution and due process is extremely alarming under all conditions. Surely he knows. But if he says so, he falls into a trap of reconciling his many violations of both. As it is, he can claim that all these broken laws on his part were and remain a vital necessity, to save the country in a time of dire emergency. What his answers did wa to reinforce the argument of his many of his most fervant detractors that not only is he mentally ill by virtue of pathological narcissism among other mental maladies, but is just plain old not very smart, not the brightest bulb in the casino. When the head of state of an alleged democracy, any alleged democracy, even one whish is in actuality a plutocratic oligarchy, when the head of state, even if only a nominal puppet of the oligarcy, tells the world that he or she simply does not know whether he or she is required to follow the law - you've got trouble, with a capital "T", right here in River City. And that is precisely the situation in which we find ourselves, to those willing to admit it. At least we can no longer say that we weren't warned, if we ever could.