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writing for godot

Mene tekel

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Written by gbdoc   
Wednesday, 29 August 2018 14:30

Like most everybody else in the world, I've been witness to Donald Trump's behavior since his candidacy began, and have seen that he who began as a bad joke has turned into an impossible, but real, U.S. President, the likes of which we have never seen in recent memory - indeed, the likes of which would have been unthinkable in modern times in America. Not only is his behavior repugnant, what agenda and programs he has espoused are damaging, heartless, and seem to be based on no understanding of the issues. Coming at a time when the world order is seriously threatened on many fronts, Mr. Trump's misleadership only aggravates the dangers. Beyond that, his perception of the powers vested in him has led him to totally disregard principles which have long been the foundation of American democracy and government. Checks and balances no longer obtain, and even the rule of law is mostly honored by him and those with whom he has surrounded himself only in the breach; more than a few have been tried and found guilty, and he himself might be in jail were it not for the protection provided by his office.

In a distant past, a character like President Trump could only have been created by Charlie Chaplin or Mel Brooks; maybe H.G. Wells, or Orson Welles, could have come up with a scarier but no less entertaining version. But Mr. Trump, President of the United States Donald Trump, is a flesh-and-blood reality. Commentators in America and all over the world have been calling attention to this misbehavior since the beginning. Serious journalists, think-tanks, political scientists, jurists, scientists, psychiatrists, historians, most of the business community, even comedians, have mostly shocked criticism for Mr. Trump (to be sure, he has his minions and supporters, too). His picture has adorned the covers of several serious newsmagazines, but not, as he might wish, to document his stellar leadership, but with title stories like “Above the law?”, or “His Demons”. World leaders, many of whom he has insulted and betrayed, have had to develop tactics and strategies to defend themselves against his actions. To sum it up, there seems to be no question in serious quarters that the current President of the United States is wholly unsuited to the office - indeed, a disgrace to it.

And yet ... and yet ... like P.T. Barnum (never actually) said, “there's a sucker born every minute.” And like Barnum, he knows how to work the crowd with smoke and mirrors, megaphones, roaring lions, high-wire acts, clowns, and the tallest of tall tales - and yes, snake oil and shell games, too. And many love it, and keep coming back for more. Did the United States die, and become reincarnated as a circus? Of course not. But the America I was so proud of for so long is indeed dying, and indeed becoming a shameful and dangerous circus, possibly never to return to the respected and respectable position we once had. Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin.

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