Tag: Trump

Truth Will Set You Free, But…

I learned a lot working with people in recovery from various substance addictions. One friend was leading a Court-ordered group session with people convicted of drunken driving.  No one was happy to be there. After several weeks of meetings, my friend asked them to each write a personal timeline from when they began drinking and what happened in their life along the way up to the present day. As they worked, a man in the group who had been angry about being there looked up in shocked surprise and blurted out, “Oh my god, it’s the alcohol.” He told how he had given up drinking about 5 years earlier and all his legal problems resolved and his family relationships improved. Three years after that he began drinking again and now family and legal problems were back. He said, “I thought I had a criminal personality, but it’s the alcohol. I’ve got to quit drinking!” He had resented being sentenced to the group, but now he realized he wasn’t a bad person; he was someone drinking too much. He could change that. Others had told him before, of course, about this drinking ut he had dismissed it and them. Now, he learned what you will hear said only somewhat tongue-in-cheek in the rooms of recovery:

“The truth will set you free… but first, it will really piss you off.”

For a great many people heavy drinking brings good things into their lives or they wouldn’t do it. For many people, heavy drinking or drug using is their hobby; what they do for fun and relaxation, either alone or with friends. It doesn’t just go with their fun; it is the fun. For others, it is a release from anxiety, stress, and painful memories or feelings. For some, it’s both. Then it starts to cause trouble – emotional, relational, legal and financial problems start to happen. To stop the trouble, the person must realize this valued substance they think of as a friend—or even a lover—is no longer helping them, Indeed, it is now running and ruining their lives.

Admitting this is painful. Imagine being told our best friend—someone we’ve known and trusted for years—is actively destroying our lives, costing us friends, hurting our family members, destroying our reputations, and leading us into betraying even our own values. No one wants to believe that about a friend. If cautioned about it, we become defensive of our friend and angry at his “accuser”. To those around us the issue is very clear, but from the inside of that damaging relationship, we can’t see it or we can’t see a way out. It doesn’t matter if it’s true, we don’t want to believe it and we won’t.

If we’re lucky, one day something happens as it did for the gentleman above. While we’ve resisted the uncomfortable truth, when we let it in it reveals this “friendship” is actively destroying us, our health,  our well-being, and damaging the lives of others, too. Disentangling from this “friend” can be complicated and emotionally painful. But the truth that first pisses us off  will set us free when we accept it. Then we can rebuild and restore ourselves.

And here, my Trump-supporting friend is where I must raise your relationship with Donald Trump. Does that piss you off? Pay attention to that; it’s a sign. I don’t speak from anger or judgment. People believe and do the things they do for reasons that seem good to them at the time, often from pain or fear. I don’t think you’re a bad, stupid or racist person.  I’ve worked with you and valued your friendship. You know he’s not a good person. You know, in fact, he is a human moral wasteland. Unless you are a billionaire, and apart from your 401K, I can’t think what he does for you, but apparently, it’s something so valuable you overlook his appalling behaviors and their disastrous outcomes. Maybe he makes you feel better or takes away your anxiety. Maybe he makes you feel part of a “tribe.” It is painful to watch your mental gymnastic twists in thinking to continue your support. It is distressing to see you going back to Fox News, or Breitbart, or InfoWars which are Trump’s pushers and your enablers. I and others want you to know we’re concerned for you, but also for where you’re taking us as a nation. Please, look around at our country after three and half years. Millions are out of work, people are being evicted from their homes, hundreds of thousands of  your fellow citizens are dead, and all due to Trump’s incompetence and surreal inability to deal with actual facts. It is due to his monstrous ego that makes him unable to admit he is wrong, and due to his narcissism he cannot feel the pain or suffering of others. We wish you could. Our democratic institutions are in tatters because nothing and no one matters to him but him. We have armed thugs in the streets killing people and it doesn’t matter which side you believe is right, Trump pours fuel on those flames and bellows them up into a fury of firearms and bloodshed.

I worry for you, because whatever he’s doing for you, it blinds you to what he’s doing to you and to us.

What makes me saddest, is knowing from my background, none of these words will have any effect. Like the drug addict whose family members beg them to see what is happening, you will dismiss it all as “you don’t understand.” In fact, we do. Only you can persuade you. All I can say is, he’s not taking you anywhere you or we want to be. One day, if you’re lucky, you will look up and say, “Oh my god, it’s Trump. He’s the one doing this.” And it will be a relief to us all. Because that will begin to set you, and us, free.  

Two Hypotheticals and All the Little Lies

A Hypothetical Message From Your President 

“Dear Citizens of the United States. I want you to understand why I concealed from you all that I knew about this vicious new virus back in February 2020. Yes, it’s true as the taped interviews reveal that I knew it was deadly – far deadlier than “the flu.” Yes, I knew it was airborne, could spread easily. Yes, I knew how to get that word out to you and have had medical experts who assured me that all of this was correct. However, I knew something else you might not know. You see, I knew I had to conceal the truth and tell you comfortable lies because of the massive bunch of bozos you are. My superior genius mind knew I couldn’t trust you with the truth or factual information about the risks facing you or you would lose your minds and run amok. Had I told you the truth you would have panicked and hurt the economy. You might have rioted. You could have accused your government of failing you. You might not have voted for me in November. So,  I’m sorry it didn’t work out like we hoped, but I’m sure you understand that a panic would have been bad for everyone, especially me, and this was only way I could think to not have one. Plus, this gave me an opportunity to lie and–let’s face it–that is my wheelhouse; one of my best skills. Yes, I know the death toll is nearing 200,000 people, but you know I never talk about that. It’s almost like it never happened. Thank you for your time. Oh! And thanks for your vote in the upcoming election. I think we can all agree I’ve done a great job of reducing panic and I deserve your support. And God Bless the USA. (Not that I really believe in God or the USA either, but you know, it’s traditional!)

Brilliantly yours,

Donald J Trump, President of the Untied States of America (In case you forgot.)

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A Hypothetical Message from Virtually Any Other Sensible American (Yes, including even a bozo like me who isn’t qualified to be President, but does believe in my nation, its people and science.)  Dated: February 17, 2020.

“My fellow citizens, as you are becoming aware, what we have long feared is happening; a deadly new virus called SARS-Cov-2 is spreading across the globe. This virus creates an illness known as COVID-19 which is lethal for some who get it and puts massive strain on healthcare systems. Already other countries have seen significant consequences both in their health and economic outcomes, so we must act now to prevent as much harm as possible here.

Let me say clearly that, while this situation is serious, there is no reason for panic. We are Americans who have faced many trials in our nation’s past and we will face, endure, and prevail over this one. We have the world’s leading medical and epidemiological experts and they are going to tell us all what we need to do to protect ourselves and those we love from infection and possible death. Please be aware that because this is a new virus, our knowledge and understanding of it will evolve over time, and recommendations may change accordingly, but for now, here is what we do know and need to do.

First of all, the current data suggests this virus is already in the United States and it is potentially more lethal than the flu. Besides treating those who are already ill, stopping the spread of this virus is crucial. This is important not only to protect our own health, but the health of others. Early data from China suggests that, just as with the flu, people who are elderly or immune compromised have greater risk for infection and higher mortality rates. However, everyone is at risk.

Second, early reports suggest that, once a person is infected, they do not immediately become ill, but may be able to infect others before they begin to show symptoms. This is known as “asymptomatic spread” and is a serious challenge.

Finally, all current evidence suggests this virus is airborne which means you do not have to touch something or someone to become infected. It can pass through the air from another person to you if they carry the virus and, as already noted, even before they show symptoms. This is yet another reason why we must take swift action now to stop the spread.

To accomplish this will mean all Americans working together to halt the virus from further in-roads into our nation, and here is what we all need to do. Begin by keeping at least six feet of social distancing when around others. Stay in as much as possible and if you must go out, wear a mask when you are in public, as you see me and those around me doing now.  This will protect you and others. You or anyone around you could be carrying the virus and not know it.

I call upon Congress – both the Democratically-led House and the Republican-led Senate to bring me a funding bill for massive testing and contact tracing of those who test positive for the corona virus. I call upon state and local governments to immediately begin coordinating with the CDC and Health and Human Services to accomplish this massive testing. Details will follow soon. In doing so, we can identify those who are infected, direct them to medical treatment, and limit the danger to others. We can also limit the harm to our economy. If necessary, I will enact the National Defense Production Act to get medical protective gear, ventilators and other crucial materials to those needing them. The CDC is already in conversations with pharmaceutical companies and the World Health Organization to begin work on a vaccine, but that is a long-term solution and will need months of development time, at least. We must anticipate, as we have seen in other countries, that we may need to quarantine, which will impact businesses and employees. We will need funding to meet those needs as well and I expect Congress to address these pressing issues.

This is a challenge. But I know the heart of the American people. You will rise to this occasion, you will make these necessary adjustments and sacrifices and your government will work with you to stop this virus, mitigate its harm, and help you medically and financially to continue your lives. A calm determination to overcome this trial is our best attitude to adopt now.

I now turn the podium over to leading experts to give you more information and answer questions.  We are all in this together and we will prevail. We are going to honor the heritage of those gave us this nation, and protect our children who will inherit it. We will make them proud of how we manage this trying time. God Bless the United States of America and God bless and keep each of you.”

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This latter is the hypothetical message the President—or any honest, intelligent, compassionate person—could and should have delivered to the U.S. early on, followed with regular updates on policy and public health needs guided by science. Instead we were lied to and the risks downplayed because Trump says he wanted to “avoid panic.” Instead, it all fell apart from sheer incompetence. All evidence suggests he wanted to protect his re-election. He has no other agenda. One day, his followers will see that.

Carry On – AB

The Problem of Baboons

“The alpha male baboon is not a leader; he just has the best stuff.” –Robert M. Sapolsky, author,  professor

I thought long and hard before writing this piece because comparing someone to one of our primate relatives is historically an odious, racist trope. Yet unlike racist intent, this is not about appearance or intellect – which one cannot change – it is about behavior which one can change. I use the comparison because it highlights a problem we must see clearly. And we do have a problem.

Robert Sapolsky, Stanford Professor of biology and neurology, studied baboons in their own habitat to better understand the biological basis of human behavior. Baboons live in social groups and the alpha male, typically the strongest and most aggressive, keeps his standing by intimidation and, when necessary, by violence. He does what he wants; getting his pick of the females and stealing food from other less aggressive males. Should you offer him food, he would think you’re weak. He will slaughter infants that are not his but keep his own progeny safe. In Sapolsky’s bestselling book Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst, he makes the observation I’ve quoted above, “The alpha male baboon is not a leader; he just has the best stuff.” The alpha male has no intention of serving the troop, he just wants access to the best resting spot, food and females for himself. In his standing, he feels entitled to anything he can take, all others are beneath him, and any resistance is met with force and violence.

America, we have made the mistake of putting an alpha male primate into a position calling for leadership. We mistook wealth—acquired by luck of birth, media fascination, and amoral animal cunning—with “success” as a leader. Too many of us mistook bullying for strength because the bully said things we wished we had the nerve to say. Donald J. Trump believes he should have the pick of the females and the possession of anything else he wants, including your lunch. His response to any challenge is to dominate and he will escalate to violence if intimidation fails. He will protect his own progeny and  be violent to others. He has called state governors “weak” for not intimidating and “dominating” those protesting the murders of unarmed African Americans. In this behavior, Donald Trump literally has the morals of a baboon. I don’t say it merely as an insult; I say it as a statement of objective fact.

I also hesitated to write this because I don’t typically indulge in mere name-calling. I try to understand what’s correct in someone’s positions. However, as we now work to remove DJT from office, we see intimidation escalating to violence as a response. In recent days, DJT sent anonymous armed thugs into U.S. cities to deny American citizens the right to peacefully protest. Indeed, it appears they intend to provoke resistance so that he can make a show of force to impress and intimidate the rest of us. He cares not at all if anonymous “officers” violate the protesters’ Constitutional rights to peaceful assembly and free speech. To him the only rules or societal norms that matter are those serving his purpose to remain at the top. With all that, the time for being civil in our opposition is over.

Worst of all, this has happened at a time of maximum peril from a global pandemic that requires actual leadership. Such leadership springs from an intent to serve the common good, in turn requiring empathy and concern for others. These are impulses which the alpha male’s brain is not at all wired to do.  Thus, the outcome of Trump’s baboon brain has been to serve only himself, to downplay the seriousness of this pandemic because it does not serve his re-election goals. Now we are a global epicenter of the pandemic, trapped inside our own nation by a wall—only ours is made up of disease and international disdain. How ironic. Our economy is trashed because the pandemic is uncontrolled because the alpha male baboon-in-chief is bored with it. Worse, DJT has inspired others to copy his behavior, engaging in their own narcissistic impulses, so that even wearing a mask – the simplest, most effective public health practice we currently have – has been transformed into a divisive message. A leader would have had the humility and intelligence to follow the science. The baboon-in-chief could not.

The next six months are going to be a dangerous time in America, perhaps the most dangerous since the Civil War. A plague is upon us and we not only have no leadership, we have an authoritarian baboon who plans to hurt us for trying to replace him with leadership. He has at his disposal levers of power and henchmen who will do his bidding regardless of legal barriers or social norms. This is a crisis; we must act like it.

I absolutely do not advocate violence of any kind, but our own non-violent response must be tougher and more unwavering than his. Conceding anything to him will be interpreted as weakness. He and his followers must obey the rule of law. We must insist that the U.S. Constitution means what it says. We must demand that law enforcement follow the Constitution, that our courts, our political leaders, our medical experts, and our own family, friends and neighbors do their civic duty to speak, to vote, to act, to publicly protest (in masks), to demand a higher calling from ourselves as a nation.

“Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide, in the strife of truth with falsehood for the good or evil side.”

This is that moment.

If we fail, we will become Baboon America, and no one in the world will be safe from that.