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Tuesday, February 7, 2017

O tempora! O mores!


"...I am on the opposite end of the political spectrum as you guys."


Don't be so hasty, Mr. Beagles.  Politically, I would place myself between you and Uncle Ken, more often closer to you.  If I waffle on issues it's because some of the political generalizations stated here leave me cold; I like a little more specificity and clarity of terminology.  Context is important, and I seem to lose sense of it during tangled discussions; often we are talking about the same thing while simultaneously talking about different things, through different lenses, and it devolves into pointless drivel, from my point of view.  Some of the issues just don't interest me to the extent that I feel it necessary to throw in my two cents.

Consider the nicknames of Trump (more drivel).  Admittedly, I have been in denial about the fact that he is, indeed, our commander in chief.  It doesn't seem possible, yet, here it is; it's real.  I might as well put on my big boy pants and call the Chump a Trump, and move on.

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I don't hate Trump, nor think he is an asshole.  He is what he is; unfortunately he is a kind of human that I've never encountered, totally self-centered, lacking any apparent empathy, and the emotional development of a toddler.  I have to put my trust in the efficacy of the checks and balances to prevent things from going completely off the rails.

Trump has my pity, not scorn.  I don't think he has the capability to pause, reflect, and appreciate the simple beauties of life.  I try to visualize him taking young Barron to Central Park to feed the ducks, but I can't.  Nor can I visualize him killing a little time and goofing off with his pals.  Come to think of it, is there any record of him having any friends, folks he can kick back with, shoot the shit with, or is everything some kind of business transaction?   I sense a spiritual void that he tries to fill by gazing into a warped mirror, basking in his own greatness.  Sad!  I doubt if he's ever made ice cream, either.  Sadder!

None of the pundits have mentioned what is becoming obvious to me, a not so hidden Messiah complex; only HE can lead us to salvation.  Huh.

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I'm sure Beagles makes joke about those detention centers at the airports.


Nope, they're there, but detention center may be the wrong term.  There are facilities, often lacking overnight accommodations, for the processing of immigrants in many airports.

The detention centers I mentioned in that presidential order are for the southern border areas to deal with illegal immigrants from Mexico.  I don't know if the actual numbers warrant them, but it isn't much of stretch to go from detention center to internment camp.  Just sayin'...

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Talk about dreams all you want, Uncle Ken.  There is plenty of research on the subject available, but you'll fall into the rabbit hole of neuroscience.  It will help if you can back up your speculations with hard science.  I'd like to learn more but lack the desire to do the research myself; I'll let you do the heavy lifting.

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It used to be that a newly elected president enjoyed a "honeymoon," sometimes lasting months, during which the media allowed him slack as he eased into office.  Not this year, pal; talk about hitting the grounding running, all tradition be damned!

Another break with tradition is that the UK Parliament has decided to not allow Trump to address that august body during any future state visit.  It's not clear to me whether or not it is a done deal or something that they are still talking about, but it makes me wonder about the future of international relations with our so-called allies.

Another broken tradition, especially for a businessman of great repute, is to read documents before you sign them, but Trump apparently did not read the executive order granting Steve Bannon a permanent seat on the National Security Council.  I remember seeing that trick used in sitcoms, where the flunky slips some papers before the boss for his signature but I never thought it would actually work in reality, certainly not in the Oval Office.  Life is imitating art.

An explanation for this was something I read online:
Here's an interesting suspicion: Trump is only marginally literate, and hates reading so much he deals with even complex correspondence by talking it out and trusting that whatever is put in from of him at the conclusion is an accurate reflection of the discussion. This strategy has come into contact with one Stephen K. Bannon, and Bannon has already done well by it.

One break with tradition that I'd like to see is that Congress has the power to obtain his tax returns and reveal them to the public without his consent. Tongues would surely wag.

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