Is this the eclipse of the national soul?

So, after a couple days more to reflect upon Charlottesville, the Confederate President of the Russian province of Dumbfuckistan (formerly known as the United States of America) decided that he was right the first time. Both sides were behaving poorly there. And there were good people among the Nazis and KKK-ers. And they had a permit, so they had a right to act the way they did.

All this Presidential warmth toward racial and anti-Semitic intolerance was well-received by the usual purveyors of hate, David Duke and his fellow White Nationalist Nazi travelers at the Daily Stormer. Duke was so choked up he had to send a congratulatory tweet to the President:

https://twitter.com/DrDavidDuke/status/897559892164304896

Ugh, that felt slimy just posting his link. Following the same "moral plane", The Daily Stormer has been lauding our President, too. However, their Twitter account has been suspended. And their website was yanked by GoDaddy, then by Google. But good news for Nazis everywhere! Today, they have secured a website based in Russia (of course they have).

While the President can speak and tweet to his heart's content, his words and actions do have consequences. Yesterday, the CEO of Merck resigned from the President's Economic Council of Manufacturers. Soon following were two other CEOs of other companies. Because the Merck CEO is African-American, Trump quickly sent out one of his tender-hearted tweets. The other white guys didn't merit a mention.

Until today. Overnight, the remaining CEOs on this and another economic council summarily resigned in protest for his shameful press conference. So what did Trump do? He sent out a Tweet saying he had fired them!

 https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/897869174323728385

Double Ugh. Again with the nasty, slimy feeling for posting that link. Sorry about that, but we at The Daily Kibitz feel strongly in presenting The Facts. So does the President, because that is what he said in defending his very tardy and lame performance on Saturday. He claimed he delayed his response because he doesn't "make a statement without knowing all of the facts." This comes as a complete shock to anyone who has read or listened to him over the last 2 years. He is quite handily our first Fact-Free President (thanks, PolitiFact). 

Speaking of facts, the Nazi march at Charlottesville really set a local Reform congregation on edge. Here is their story, and it ain't pretty at all:

http://reformjudaism.org/blog/2017/08/14/charlottesville-local-jewish-community-presses

Hmmm. Heavily armed Nazi guys standing across the street, glaring. Columns of Nazis and KKKers marching past the entrance, spewing slogans of their contemptible loathing. Congregents afraid to leave! Threats to burn the synagogue down. Yep, America, 2017 edition. Honestly, please read that link!

But not to worry, because the fact is Jews were not the only target of the good people. Basically anyone who got in their way became an enemy. In particular, Heather Heyer, the poor woman who was killed by the Flower of Nazi Youth. Was there any remorse from these fine folk? Oh, ho ho:

"I'm glad that girl died...

It's all quite difficult to believe that such an event could take place in America. But if you have any doubt about what happened in Charlottesville, take a few minutes to watch the remarkable video document presented on HBO/Vice. Follow along with an embedded reporter (man, she was brave!) and get a too-close view of the enormous hatred that propels this Alliance of Awfulness. It is terrific and shocking:

https://news.vice.com/story/vice-news-tonight-full-episode-charlottesville-race-and-terror

Why has the President acted as he has? Maybe he's cognitively challenged, in the throes of a mental decline. More likely, it's because this is the way he is. He has surrounded himself with like-minded people in the White House. The most influential is, of course, Steve Bannon. It is no secret in Washington that Bannon, the previous owner/director of Breitbart News, continues to have a hold on the Chief Executive. He is like Trump's Rasputin. Or better, his Goebbels. Here is an expansive and very revealing read on Bannon and his role in Trump's election and subsequent Administration efforts:

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2017/08/17/steve-bannon-donald-trump-tabloid-presidency/

It's long been rumored that Bannon will be canned by Trump, but he remains in the Inner Circle. It's also been suggested that Trump is fearful that firing Bannon will create a whole new set of problems with The Mercers, Bannon's powerful political patrons from the Far Right. Regardless, White House support for groups espousing a National White Ethno State is directly in line with the goals of Steve Bannon.

The best analysis yet for Trump's un-American posture is presented by former Reagan speechwriter/National Review/The Weekly Standard/Commentary editor, John Podheretz. He likens Trump's recognition of his base as more acute than supposed. Imagine "the base" as an atom. The Tea Party/Activists are the atom's nucleus. The Charlottesville alliance of Deplorables is the sub-atomic material of that nucleus. He is very aware of this, and doesn't wish to lose the support of those who initially got on his Trump Train. Great stuff:

https://www.commentarymagazine.com/politics-ideas/explaining-donald-trump-charlottesville-behavior/

So... how to react to all this. Here is a pithy and commonly expressed comment from one of the DC illuminato:

Btw - God damn the news media execs who gave Donnie's campaign billions in free coverage because it was good for ratings. God damn Chris Cillizza, David Brooks, Matthew Dowd, Chuck Todd, and all the other high priests of the church of "Both Sides." God damn the third party voters, butthurt Bernie bros, and everyone else who chose not to recognize what an unmitigated disaster Donald Trump's election would be.

And God damn the GOP. Who have been beavering away at delegitimizing, destabilizing and destroying American democracy for decades in order to keep their base paranoid, bitter and resentful and their wealthy donors happy. This is on you. May you all rot in hell.

It is easy to feel such anger. It is easy to fall into hate. But to absorb the hate is to enter the same home where these Deplorables live. As difficult as it may be, it is vital to remain outraged, but not to hate. Can we do this?

Here's a guy who thought so. George Harrison. He was in a 60's band called The Beatles. After they broke up, he released a 3-record set called "All Things Must Pass" and it remains the best post-Beatle recording, by a wide distance. Listen to it - it really stands the test of time! Anyway, Harrison was primarily interested in maintaining Love as the animating force in our lives. He was all about Love as a tool for Transcendence. But he was also of this world, as much as he wished to evolve to the next. Here is his masterful cautionary tale, "Beware of Darkness". It is a song for our times.

Watch out now, take care

Beware of greedy leaders

They take you where you should

Not go

While weeping Atlas cedars

They just want to grow, grow and

Grow

Beware of Darkness

(Beware of Darkness)

Some sides are more equal than others...

There exists a sense of futility in trying to comprehend the profound lack of judgment displayed by our President following the awfulness of Charlottesville. His Presidential Twitter lay dormant for over two hours after a State of Emergency had been declared. A White Supremacist had killed one anti-fascist protester and injured nearly 20 more.  Many more had been injured in other violent brushbacks. The day (and previous night) had been filled with news coverage of the acrimonious high-profile confrontations outside University of Virginia. The Twitterverse was awash with eyewitness accounts and reactions. Even his wife had issued a positive "violence is bad" kinda Tweet!

After he finally weighed in with his oddly weak Presidential Tweet, he appeared for a Veterans Affairs announcement. He stirred the imagination and braced the soul with a full-throated, stout-hearted, roaring defense of American values in the face of Nazis, KKK-ers and White Supremicists. Except he didn't.

Instead, we were treated to a "well, both sides do it, so everyone should go back to your corners and cool off" statement. It is really worth watching if you haven't subjected yourself to it yet.

Egads! These events are terrible! Many sides! And don't forget the children who cannot play in public, with their parents! We need more affection! We need more "sacred bonds of loyalty"! And how about that unemployment rate?! Who's the greatest ever? Oh, and "cherish our history".

And then after some more words about the great and beautiful VA, he was gone again, refusing to answer questions about the role of the Alt-Right. As of 24+ hours later, he still hadn't condemned this portion of his base that constitutes Racism and Anti-Semitism. Instead, he leaves us with a Both Sides Are Bad false equivalency.

Except he really didn't. Let's face it, when we think of Nazis, the Klan and other White Supremicists, non-violence doesn't leap to mind. These thugs make their statements with extreme violence. When he compares them with protesters of this ideology, they win big time and they know it.

Also, "Cherish our history" is a dog-whistle for these same very fine folk who seek to prevent the removal of Confederacy statues. You know, people like David Duke, who previously proclaimed his dissatisfaction with the President yesterday - before the TV appearance -  in a chilling tweet. Today, emboldened with Trump's lack of condemnation, he compares his allies' actions yesterday to the Greeks at Thermopylae. And the rest of this sad bunch of miscreants are rapturous with the support they see from the President.

Nearly forgotten in all the mayhem was the inconsolable fact that a young woman was killed and five more critically injured when a White Supremacist decided to express his feelings by driving into them at an anti-Nazi rally. This is her:

"If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention."

And this is a short piece from the Washington Post about her:

Heather Heyer

In the meantime, today the campaign to re-elect Donald Trump in 2020 released a 30-second ad. It excoriates his "enemies" like Democrats and the Media. It offers the usual malarky about how great things have become since Trump took office, and how Americans simply want him to be the best President he can be...  It is a curious item, apparently composed in a mood of rancorous, vituperative and divisive sentiment. It is certainly not a document that promotes the President's newly declared suggestion that we all come together as one nation.

Much has already been said about the need to remove this President and his Administration. There will be a time for that in the looming months ahead. What is a greater concern is what happens when he is gone. Someone described Trump as a Hood Ornament for a powerful car that will keep on running long after the symbolic ornament has been removed. It's the engine underneath that is the problem.

To help us focus on what we as citizens must do, let's take a look at what a couple of dudes had to say who were in the crucible of their times:

"History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the vitriolic words and the violent actions of the bad people, but the appalling silence and indifference of the good people. Our generation will have to repent not only for the words and acts of the children of darkness, but also for the fears and apathy of the children of light."

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
January 27, 1965
Atlanta, Georgia

"We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men or women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must—at that moment—become the center of the universe..." 
 
--Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, 1986.

The center of the universe. As Americans, it always seems to be right here among us, although not in the way that Wiesel imagines. Americans carried this sense of center throughout World War II, when we fought Fascists, Nazis and Totalitarians. Here is a nice little piece of US government-produced anti-Fascist propaganda that appeared in theaters everywhere during the War:

It is amazing we have strayed so far in such a short time...

Also this, from our old friend Henry Rollins on the subject of White Privilege. Apparently, some minds are being lost, indeed:

"On my honor, I will do my best, to do my duty..."

It's been a week since the Honorary President of the Boy Scouts of America, Donald Trump, addressed a captive audience of some 40,000 scouts at the quadrennial Jamboree. As has been noted, his remarks did not resonate well. Departing from his teleprompter boilerplate speech, the man who was never a Scout ridiculed his presidential opponent, encouraged everyone to boo his presidential predecessor, waxed on about a rich hedonist with a notorious yacht, reminisced on the Manhattan in-crowd and other topics that were pertinent to Scouting.

It was all typically surreal and ridiculous, including the fact that an apology from the BSA didn't arrive for three days. But it finally did, adding to the President's Terrible, Horrible, No Good and Very Bad Week. Mix in his hiring of Anthony Scaramucci as Communications Director, firing of Sean Spicer, his suggesting that cops handle suspects roughly, his epic failure to shepard a Health Care bill into law, his improvised ban on transgender personnel in the military, his continued goading of Attorney General Sessions to resign (thus pissing off Republican Senators), his unceremonious firing of Reince Priebus as Chief of Staff, his firing of newly hired Anthony Scaramucci, and his continued retainment of everyone else, well, it's been a busy and unproductive week.

So DT was never a Scout. Let's use the Scout Law as a guide post for determining what kind of scout the President would be. A scout is:

Trustworthy. HA. HAHAHA. HAAHAHAHHAHAHA. You can trust that he will tweet batshit crazy thoughts on early Saturday mornings.

Loyal - Trump demands loyalty, but does not reciprocate unless it's to someone who has something on him, like Putin. He has been loyal to Paul Manafort, Corey Lewandowski, Michael Flynn, James Comey, Sally Yates, Sean Spicer, Reince Priebus, Preet Bharara, Katie Walsh, Anthony Scaramucci, Jeff Sessions and many more!

Helpful - The President is not well known for his charitable giving. Pulitzer Prize winner David Fahrenthold has discovered that Trump rarely gives out of his own pocket. He last provided cash to his own foundation in 2008. Trump Foundation gifts come from other people. Fahrenthold questioned the President when it was discovered Trump had not provided a promised $1 million of personal wealth to charities. "You're a really nasty guy," he said to Farenthold; only then did he begrudgingly  give the money. Also: his Foundation gave $7 to the Boy Scouts; it was the registration fee for his then-young son, Donald Jr.

Friendly - Although it's said he can be charming when he wants something, it's part of a four part process: Charm, Bully, Abandon, Sue

Courteous - Yes, the traits of the gentleman: courtesy, civility, empathy, reasoned and considered discourse. Rational and nuanced understanding of our national debate of ideas, and the respect for opposing viewpoints. No. No, this is not his style at all.

Kind - Kindly Donald Trump. We know about his parched personal charitable giving. Here is a Snopes research piece that looks into some claims of kind behavior. It is a mixed bag. The acts of charitable funds come from his Foundation, not his pocket. The rest makes for interesting reading.

Obedient - OK, OK, the President is not the obedient sort. His parents shipped him off to a behavioral military school because of his early obnoxiousness. He was a handful. Today, he expects everyone to be obedient to him, including his staff, Federal agencies, Congress, the Judiciary, all forms of Media, women, children and clouds. He has been curiously obedient to Vladimir Putin.

Cheerful -  Aside from the moment when then Candidate Trump suggested to his campaign rally audience that he'd really like to punch the face of a protestor there, this image truly exemplifies the inherent Cheerfulness of the President and his family. Who is the guy in the white robes??

Thrifty - After surviving a series of career (and probably life) threatening bankruptcies, Trump has learned the value of a dollar. He has a rich history of stiffing his contractors. He probably laughs at his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who sank 1.8 Billion dollars into a Manhattan office tower - in 2007, the peak of the bubble. What a schmuck.  Also, there is that 7 dollars donated by his Foundation to the Boy Scouts.

Brave - A bone spur. Before Viet Nam, he played high school basketball, but got a medical draft deferment for a condition that affects 38% of the population, and causes pain in 5%. Also received four education-related draft deferments. Today, he can accuse Viet Nam war survivors like John McCain of not being a hero.

Clean -  The Pussy-Grabber-in-Chief. Hoo boy, this says it all.

Reverent  - While he improbably remains the champion of Evangelicals (check out this bizarre pix of  Evangelical leaders "laying hands" on him to receive the power of their prayers), our President has never been known to frequent churches or any house of worship. He can't own one, so what's the point? When asked last year about his thoughts on the importance of Easter, he replied, "Well, it really means something very special. I'm going to church in an hour from now and it's going to be - it's a beautiful church. I'm in Florida. And it's just a very special time for me. And it really represents family and get-together and - and something, you know, if you're a - a Christian, it's just a very important day." It reminds one of the movie "The Omen", where the Anti-Christ character could not utter the name of Jesus.

Yep, that's a wrap for the Scout Law and Donald Trump. Regarding the guy that he urged Boy Scouts to boo, there is this:

Yes, Barack Obama was a Boy Scout while growing up in Indonesia and Hawaii. He sent a video to the 2010 Jamboree. He didn't speak to the next Jamboree, probably because of the contemporaneous high-profile fracas that Boy Scouts of America were conducting about gay scouts and leaders. But he continued to meet with them in the White House and other locales.

In the meantime, we as a nation need to keep in mind the tenets of the Scout Law - doesn't matter at all if you agree with the Boy Scouts or not. These are inarguable pillar points for an individual and for a society. We have a President and a whole bunch of Members of Congress who would have difficulty matching up with one or two of these points.

Government is messy. It's where the sausages are made. But for Good Government to exist, one needs good people in government. Right now, we have a severe deficit of representatives with strong moral character when we need them most. How will the careening cart be controlled? Stay tuned...