Monthly Archives: May 2017

American Antiquities

Synchronicity is a concept, first introduced by analytical psychologist Carl Jung, which holds that events are “meaningful coincidences” if they occur with no causal relationship yet seem to be meaningfully related. (Wikipedia)

Early Sunday morning I received an email from a reader asking if I was aware of the protest in Charlottesville, Virginia (where we both attended the University of Virginia), led by white nationalist Richard Spencer.  The demonstrators were challenging the removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from a public park.  

Make no mistake about it, this protest was not about the removal of a statue.  At the first of two rallies, Spencer excited the crowd when he said, “What brings us together is that we are white, we are a people, we will not be replaced.”  At the evening rally, protesters shouted, “Russia is our friend.”  (Source: Washington Post/May 14, 2107) Disposition of the statue was a convenient excuse to promote hatred and division. Such behavior should be abhorrent to all Americans.

Related imageYet, at some level, I am uncomfortable with the urgency by some to remove statues of confederate leaders, notably  President Jefferson Davis, and military officers such as General Lee.  Perhaps it was the circumstances of my birth and early years.  I was born in Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederacy.  More specifically, my first breath was taken at Stuart Circle Hospital, named after the statue of General J.E.B. Stuart which stands in the center of the roundabout on which the hospital was located.  I attended Thomas Jefferson High School and Mr. Jefferson’s University (as we affectionately referred to UVA).  My maternal grandmother lived on Monument Avenue, you guessed it, so-named for the statues of Stuart, Davis, Lee and Stonewall Jackson.

I wondered.  How would I feel if suddenly all of the statues on Monument Avenue were removed?  This is the culture and the history of the city in which I grew up.  And while there are those, like Richard Spencer, who still view the subjects of these likenesses as heroes, the majority of Americans do not.  And I understand how the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of slaves take offense at the presence of what is a reminder the United States was less than a “more perfect union” for their ancestors.

And then it hit, a moment of sychronicity.  Where else had I observed outrage at the removal or destruction of historic symbols?  In Iraq and Syria.  A quick Google search produced a September 1, 2015 article on the National Geographic website titled, “Here Are the Ancient Sites ISIS Has Damaged and Destroyed.”  Referring to the obliteration of historic ruins, Andrew Curry wrote:

The destruction is part of a propaganda campaign that includes videos of militants rampaging through Iraq’s Mosul Museum with pickaxes and sledgehammers, and the dynamiting of centuries-old Christian and Muslim shrines.

I know.  No one is advocating destruction of statues depicting political or military leaders of the Confederacy.  They just want them removed to more “appropriate” places like museums.  But that demeans their value.  Not as honoring heroes, but as curiosities.  They should evoke questions not just about the Civil War itself, but why residents of the former confederate states felt it necessary to continue to celebrate a losing cause.  For the intellectually curious, the presence of these statues are also memorials to Jim Crow, Segregation Forever and Poll Taxes.  As they say, “Out of sight; out of mind.”

We need not wait millennia to regret the loss of these artifacts of American history.  We can view them as “modern antiquities” (an oxymoron?). They are shrines to the Civil War and individuals who participated on both sides of a conflict, without which there might still exist two separate nations within the continental United States.  And I can’t help but wonder what other consequences such an arrangement might have had on this planet.  For example, could either the remaining United States or the Confederacy become the powerful ally Europe needed to defeat Nazi Germany?

bojangles4There is another statue in Richmond at the corner of Leigh and Adams Streets.  It celebrates the life of African-American dancer Bill Robinson, the original Mr. Bojangles.  Some may remember Robinson for his roles in several Shirley Temple movies.  Just as I hope young children of all races will look at the statues on Monument Avenue and ask, “Who is that and why is there a statue of him?”, I hope the same is true when youngsters see this image of Bill Robinson. [HISTORICAL FOOTNOTE:  The statue is located at this particular site because Robinson paid for a stoplight to be installed there for the safety of children who needed to cross this busy intersection.]

There is a maxim among educators, “The best teaching moments are often outside the classroom.”  By removing these “American Antiquities” from public view, are we destroying opportunities for extracurricular learning?  Whenever Richard Spencer holds a rally at a Civil War statue, perhaps we should enlist Ken Burns to lead a counter-protest.

Hopefully, the vast majority of Americans are smart enough to know the difference between a statue and a pick-up truck adorned with Confederate flags and a license plate which reads, “The South Will Rise Again.”  If not, the problem is bigger than any statue.

For What It’s Worth.
Dr. ESP

 

Give Me Liberty…

 

Yesterday, Donald Trump delivered the commencement address at Liberty University.  For an individual who values superlatives, I must give the devil his due.  His remarks took hypocrisy to a new level.  As I read the transcript, I could only imagine how a younger Donald Trump would have reflected on his commencement speech if the current Donald had been the speaker at his graduation from the University of Pennsylvania in 1968.  Consider the following excerpts from Trump’s remarks to the Liberty graduates.

2017 Trump:
Then ask yourself, with all of those blessings, and all of the blessings that you’ve been given, what will you give back to this country and, indeed, to the world? What imprint will you leave in the sands of history?

1968 Trump:
You think I’m blessed now.  Just wait until Dad’s dead and I inherit all that money.  I’ll be able to do anything I want.  Not many people know this, but they let you do anything you want when you’re rich. Maybe play golf every weekend.

Hmmm, sands of history.  I know, maybe I’ll invest in a pipeline that carries tar sand from Canada to the United States.  No one can say that won’t leave an imprint.

2017 Trump:
I know that each of you will be a warrior for the truth, will be a warrior for our country, and for your family.

1968 Trump:
Well, two out of three ain’t bad.  I have been a warrior for my country.  After all I did attend a military prep school.  I still have flashbacks about morning formations. And I know I’ll be a warrior for my family.  Better yet, I’ll be a warrior for several of my families.  That truth thing though; that is something I’ll need to work on.

2017 Trump:
A small group of failed voices who think they know everything and understand everyone want to tell everybody else how to live and what to do and how to think.

1968 Trump:
Sounds good to me.  Even someone as unpopular as I am can put together a “small group.”  And nobody knows more than I do.  Although I do wish I hadn’t skipped my American History 101 class when they covered the Civil War.  

2017 Trump:
Most importantly, you have to do what you love. You have to do what you love. I’ve seen so many people, they’re forced through lots of reasons, sometimes including family, to go down a path that they don’t want to go down, to go down a path that leads them to something that they don’t love, that they don’t enjoy.

1968 Trump:
Good advice.  Dad wants me to join him in the real estate business.  But I’d rather be playing golf and hanging out with beautiful, young women.  I know.  I’ll pretend that I’m in real estate and when Dad kicks the bucket, I’ll use my inheritance to buy golf courses and sponsor beauty contests.  But my business professors told me I need to diversify to hedge my investments.  So maybe I’ll buy a few casinos.  You know what the say, “The House always wins.”  What could be a safer investment than a casino?

The last thing I’d ever do is take a job I wouldn’t enjoy.  You know who doesn’t seem to be enjoying his job.  President Johnson.  All those protests and accusations about a unwinnable war in Southeast Asia? Who’d want to be in his place?

2017 Trump:
We must always remember that we share one home and one glorious destiny whether we are brown, black or white.

1968 Trump:
Ha! Ha! Ha!  That’s a good one.  Brown, black and white people can share one home unless the brown and black ones are trying to rent an apartment in a Trump property.  Right, Dad?

FOOTNOTE

During the commencement ceremony, Liberty University President presented Trump with an honorary Doctorate of Laws degree.  While this piece of paper is slightly more valuable than a degree from Trump University, His Orangeness probably believes this will help him when he faces trial for high crimes and misdemeanors.  I’m sure he doesn’t think the old adage, “A lawyer who defends himself has a fool for a client,” applies to him.  But, in this case, the maxim applies to EVERY lawyer on Trump’s defense team.

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP

 

“Deep Orifice”

 

This week, many media outlets and journalists have made comparisons between the firing of FBI director James Comey and the “Saturday Night Massacre,” when Richard Nixon fired special prosecutor Archibald Cox on October 20, 1973.  The two events differ in many ways, the most important being the refusal of Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus to carry out Nixon’s order to fire Cox.  Both resigned rather than participate in this presidential obstruction of justice.  (HISTORICAL NOTE:  The Department of Justice staffer who eventually dismissed Cox was none other than (drum roll) Solicitor General Robert Bork.  Many, myself included, believe this act of putting career before country was the real reason the United States Senate rejected Bork’s appointment to the Supreme Court.)

Which leads to the question, “Didn’t Comrade Trump learn ANYTHING from Watergate?” So far,  the focus has been on a single action, someone firing the person who is heading an investigation in which that someone is a target.  A more important lesson which Trump missed is, “You don’t fornicate with the FBI.”  While Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward deserve a lot of credit for their tenacious pursuit of the truth during the Watergate era, they were helped by a then anonymous source referred to only as “Deep Throat.”  Until May 31 2005, many believed Deep Throat was a composite of several sources Wood/Stein (as they were called by Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee) used to assemble the various pieces of the puzzle which led to Nixon’s resignation.

MarkFelt.jpgAs we now know, Deep Throat was then FBI associate director Mark Felt.  By virtue of his position, Felt had access to everything related to the agency’s investigation of the Watergate break-in.  In fact, the FBI agent in charge of the investigation Charles Nuzum reported directly to Felt.  When Felt authorized his attorney John D. O’Connor to reveal his role in Watergate, the news was greeted with mixed reactions.  While many viewed him as a heroic whistle blower who put country first, some questioned why he did not go to the grand jury rather than leak information to reporters.  One explanation was Felt’s loyalty to the FBI, the institution he had served since January 1942.  He was aware the White House had tried to pull acting FBI Director L. Patrick Gray into the cover-up. (Sound familiar?)  After Gray shared his concerns about the cover-up with the Senate Watergate Committee, White House Counsel John Ehrlichman was recorded telling John Dean that Gray “should be left to slowly, slowly twist in the wind.”

The lesson?  For FBI agents and staff, the integrity of their organization is sacrosanct.   As reported by CNN, “The Comey firing sends shock waves through the FBI rank-and-file.” (CNN/May 10, 2017)  Acting Director Andrew McCabe confirmed as much during his May 11 public testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee.

I can tell you that I hold Director Comey in the absolute highest regard. I have the highest respect for his considerable abilities and his integrity and it has been the greatest privilege and honor in my professional life to work with him. I can tell you also that Director Comey enjoyed broad support within the FBI and still does until this day.

So, should we hope there is a another “deep throat” inside the halls of the J. Edgar Hoover Building, motivated as Mark Felt was, to ensure Americans the FBI is still staffed by “untouchables?”  I’m not sure we need one.  Why?  To answer that question I turn to another Trump adversary, late night talk show host Stephen Colbert.  During his 2011 commencement address at Northwestern University, Colbert told the students:

Life is like improv.  You never know what is going to happen next.  And most of the time, you’re just pulling stuff out of your ass.

That certainly describes the behavior exhibited by the current White House occupant.  Who needs the next “deep throat?”  We have the ultimate source whose damning evidence comes from his own, much lower body cavity.

DAILY POSTSCRIPT

This new addition to Deprogramming101 is designed to highlight an event or observation that does not warrant a full article.

Donald Trump told us the reason he accepted National Security Adviser Michael Flynn’s resignation was his misleading the vice-president which proved embarrassing to Mike Pence.  Flynn’s resignation letter states, “I inadvertently briefed the vice-president-elect with incomplete information concerning my phone calls with the Russian ambassador.”  There was no mention of Flynn’s “underlying behavior” referred to by former acting Attorney General Sally Yates on May 8, 2017.

Therefore, if merely lying to the vice-president and embarrassing him warrants removal from office, then I anxiously await Trump’s resignation letter which will include the following.  “I inadvertently briefed the vice-president with incomplete and inaccurate information concerning the firing of James Comey.”

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP

 

Human Shields

 

As an obsessive blogger, today is my worst nightmare.  Why?  Because those who used to be responsible for analyzing the news, a task which has fallen to bloggers of all ideological stripes, began doing their job again this morning.  The media and the politicians they cover, at times like this, have something in common.  Sometimes you have no choice but to act.  As Kevin C. Gottlieb, founder of GATE (Grassroots Advocacy Training Exchange), tells his clients, “When politicians feel the heat, they see the light.”  The same holds true for journalists.

Even frequent Trump pimp Joe Scarborough picked up the mantle.  On today’s edition of Morning Joe, Scarborough asked White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders about the urgency for firing FBI director James Comey.  Her response?  The President received a recommendation from the deputy attorney general and acted immediately and decisively.  I started laughing, thinking, “..as opposed to his hesitant and indecisive action on Michael Flynn.”  Any journalist worth his/her weight would ask that question.

And Scarborough did.  The transcript from this morning’s show is not yet available, but here is my best recollection of his response to Sanders.

And yet the sitting commander-in-chief and the acting attorney general tells the President his national security adviser is compromised and represents a potential threat to the nation’s safety and he waits 18 days.

 

Sanders tried to push back but Scarborough was having none of it.  Joe, thanks for doing your job even if it makes mine a little harder.  And he was not alone.  So as strange as it may seem, we owe a second debt of gratitude to Comrade Trump for doing things a Clinton presidency could never have accomplished.  First, for mobilizing the resistance and proving that elections matter.  Second, he has awakened another sleeping giant–the press–by giving them a real story which will generate the ratings and increased subscriptions they need.

But that’s not what I came here to talk about.  As I have often reminded readers, the challenge of writing this blog is finding the angle on any topic about which no one else is talking.  One creative technique which helps achieve this goal is to find a metaphor which helps explain the issues before us.  In this case, the first thing that came to mind was the term “human shield.”  As defined by the Cambridge Dictionary, a human shield is, “a person or group of people kept in a particular place in order to stop an enemy from attacking that place.”  A quick Google search turned up the following from a CNN.com post about the fight to retake Mosul, Iraq from ISIS which shed more light on Trump’s efforts to save his presidency and reputation. (Source:  CNN.com/October 30, 2016).

The reports are disturbing: Tens of thousands of men, women and children snatched from their homes and forced into the center of Mosul as the battle intensifies to drive ISIS out of Iraq’s second-largest city.

The intent is sinister: Using civilians as human shields is ISIS’s attempt to hold onto the city, the jewel of its self-proclaimed caliphate.

The only difference between Trump and ISIS is the White House does not need to snatch its human shields, they selectively choose tImage result for rod rosensteinhem from among witting or unwitting accomplices who are enlisted for the assignment.  Yesterday, it was recently confirmed deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein.  Since much of the information in Rosenstein’s memorandum recommending Comey’s dismissal, including un-sourced verbiage and quotes, came from published news reports, the White House already knew everything it contained.  So the only reason for the memorandum was to use Rosenstein as the human shield to protect Trump from having to take personal responsibility for an action which would threaten his own personal “caliphate.”  Ironically, this is the first time in history, the commander-in-chief has offered an excuse for his actions by claiming, “I was only following orders.”

So just add Rosenstein to a growing list of individuals who have been employed as  human shields during  Trump’s 110 days in office.

  • Dennis Nunes, representative from California’s 22nd Congressional district, who was picked as the buffer between Trump and his unfounded charges of wire-tapping against President Obama.
  • Jason Chaffetz, representative from Utah’s 3rd Congressional district and chair of the House Government Oversight Committee, who sacrificed his career after stonewalling examination of Trump’s growing number of ethics violations.
  • Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, who delivered Trump’s message about House Speaker Paul Ryan being responsible for the first attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
  • Every foreign head of state who has visited the White House.  By holding joint press conferences with these dignitaries, the press has been constrained from pressing Trump on issues related to his and his associates’ interaction with Russian officials.
  • James Clapper, former director of national intelligence, who Trump constantly references (including a new banner tweet on @realdonaldtrump) as vindicating his campaign of any role in Russian interference in the 2016 election.  In Trump world, it does not matter that Clapper has done no such thing.
  • Former FBI Director James Comey, whom Trump thanked for “informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation” although no White House staff can pinpoint those occasions and Comey publicly testified that the White House is under investigation.
  • Perennial human shield President Barack Obama, whom Trump places in the forefront as responsible for EVERYTHING that has gone wrong during his time in the oval office.
  • Several federal district judges who Trump claims are keeping him from delivering on many of the most onerous promises made during his 2016 campaign.

However, if there was an academy award for best performance by a human shield, the sole nominee and winner would have to be press secretary Sean Spicer.  Trump sends him before the press on a daily basis as the first line of defense regardless of how outrageous or incomprehensible his boss’ actions or words might be.  A cat with nine lives has nothing on Scary Spice.

As former Navy intelligence office Malcolm Nance reminded us last night, Comey’s firing is just one more instance where, “the target is getting buggy.”  Nance also urges, “strategic patience.” By this he warns, when you are trying to take down a president of the United States, you better be sure you get EVERYTHING right.  James Comey learned that lesson yesterday, when the White House was given an opening as a result of his misstatement about the number and nature of emails on Anthony Wiener’s laptop.  When the White House occupant’s favorite line is, “I was right; this was fake news,” the last thing you want to do is give him ammunition.

There is still a long way to go before we know whether Trump is guilty of “high crimes and misdemeanors.”  Strategic patience is the order of the day.  What we already know is this.   He, like ISIS, is a coward of epic proportions, willing to hide behind others to protect his territory.

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP

Old Things New Again II

 

In the latest revival of a classic joke, I offer the following multiple choice question.

What do you call Donald Trump and 143 of his advisers.

A. Gross Incompetence
B. Gross Ignorance
C. Just Plain Gross
D. All of the Above

Two events triggered this post.  At a friend’s birthday party last night, I became engaged in a conversation about how any early corporate enthusiasm for supposed pro-business policies will soon fade as His Orangeness continues to demonstrate a lack of knowledge about almost everything and the impact his actions have on the general economy, much less his own supporters.  Consider the following example.

On April 25, the administration announced a 20 percent tariff on Canadian softwood lumber imports.  Trump and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross heralded this as an example of how the administration was keeping a campaign promise to its base.  There’s only one problem.  Those most likely to be impacted by this policy are blue-collar workers in the Midwest.  Yes, the very people Trump credits with his upset victories in Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Uses for SoftwoodsHow do I know this?  Because Trump’s own Department of Commerce told me so on Friday.  A major force behind the positive employment numbers for April released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics was an increase in construction jobs.  And guess what is a major input for the construction industry.  Softwood lumber.   According to Britannica.com, “The chief economic value of pines is in the construction and paper-products industries.”

But that was just the beginning.  Remember Trump telling us about his “good friend” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.  Well, this BFF did not take Trump’s ill-advised action lying down.  In response, the Canadian government is considering a 20 percent tariff on (drum roll) U.S. coal.  One can only imagine the laughter among Trudeau’s cabinet members when this option emerged.  I assume Trump voters in West Virginia, Kentucky and Pennsylvania will fail to see the humor.

But this was just one instance where this fraudulent populist chose corporate America over the citizenry.  On Sunday’s edition of Last Week Tonight, host John Oliver exposed the attempt by Trump’s recently appointed chairman of the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) Ajit Pai (a former Verizon attorney) to gut the net neutrality provisions imposed in 2015.*  For those unfamiliar with the term “net neutrality,” it refers to the rule which prevents Internet Service Providers (ISP) from regulating the speed at which different content is transmitted to the end-user.

Which brings us back to Trump’s gross ignorance.  Oliver shared a Trump tweet on November 12, 2014 which constituted his two-cents in the debate during which net neutrality was affirmed.

Obama’s attack on the internet is another top down power grab. Net neutrality is the Fairness Doctrine. Will target conservative media.

In 140 characters, Comrade Trump displayed his mental incapacity to understand the most basic aspects of this issue.  First, the Fairness Doctrine does not apply to the Internet.  Second, and most importantly, net neutrality ensures NO ONE can be denied equal access on line.  In other words, it does EXACTLY the opposite of what Trump charged.

Which brings me to my favorite Trump joke of the week.  Following Trump’s assertion that Andrew Jackson could have prevented the Civil War, Seth Meyers, host of NBC’s Late Night, predicted, “You know, at this rate the only way Trump is going to get a second term is if he is held back.”

Which explains Trump’s comment at his February 24, 2016 rally in Nevada, “I love the poorly educated.”  He obviously feels right at home.

*NOTE:  During the broadcast, Oliver pointed out how difficult the FCC had made it for individuals to find the net neutrality comment form on their website.  To combat this version of the GOP mantra, “If you don’t like what we stand for, we’ll make it as difficult as possible to voice your dissent (as in voting or town hall meetings ),” Oliver registered the URL gofccyourself.com which redirects you to the comment page.   Within hours the click volume crashed the FCC web site.  Viva la resistance!

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP