Blogpost # 951  PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION *

Should one venture to curate an exhibition of framed,  portraits, evincing the visages of the co-conspirators, charged in connection with Trump’s felony crime of election interference,  a certain five, in our view, would, predictably, be selected, as the most bizarre and outstanding: Donald J. Trump, posed, sullen, forbidding and menacing, Rudy Giuliani,  inebriate, dripping with perspiration, the latter, color- enhanced with black hair dye,  Mike Pence, ostensibly, a protagonist-villain for the stereotypical,  ghoulish, sci-fi movie,  Sidney Powell, a vacant, bland,  half-smiling, “what me worry,” portrait, Roger Stone, a poltergeist-like middle age double for the  “Artful Dodger,” of Dickens’s novel, “Oliver Twist,” and the menacing, beady-eyed, under-rock resident, the reptilian, Steven Miller.

-+-In our view, all five bizarre, countenances, would, qualify for the morally, contextual, message, ascribed to, in Oscar Wilde’s, “Picture of Dorian Grey.” Analogous to the particular symphony, after which our essay is named, each portrait, can be approached and perused, prior to the accompanying statement concerning [our perception of] his character and persona. In the referenced, peripatetic, symphony by Modest Mussorgsky,* musical tone poems are expressed, relative to each respective picture. In this writing, we shall confine ourselves to the character and persona, of the first portrait (picture) in our exhibition, viz., that of Rudy Giuliani.

Following the horrific events of 9/11, Giuliani, simply, by virtue of then occupying the position of the Mayor of the City of New York, was, popularly (and undeservedly), beatified as, “The Nation’s Mayor.” However, upon factual review, Rudy in fact, was later found to have, in fact, exacerbated the horrific incident by:  irresponsibly and thoughtlessly, locating all of New York City’s emergency agencies in one place, the vulnerable and attacked, World Trade Center, and, as a further, impactful, act of tragic carelessness, failing to approve a vitally needed, emergency telephone system, which, irresponsible, acts of gross malpractice were responsible for many, avoidable, mortalities, and injuries; particularly, among the endangered, firefighters, battling the conflagration in the collapsing, Trade Center buildings.

During his term as Mayor of New York City, Rudy courted political favor, as a declared, enemy of crime, by championing the infamous, “stop and frisk” policy of the New York City Police Department. The policy dynamics were as follows: during an (arbitrary) stop, if a police officer, “reasonably, believes,” that someone is carrying a weapon, he, in such instance, is legally, permitted to pat down, or “frisk” his outer clothing. Mercifully, the policy was later, judicially declared, unconstitutional, since it was, predictably, found to violate the individual citizen’s rights, particularly, men of color.   

Giuliani enjoyed a steady downfall, descending to the lowest level, with a recent, criminal indictment, charging that he acted as Donald Trump’s chief conspirator, in the plot to overturn President Joseph Biden’s election victory. He, made incendiary remarks to motivate the hoard of populist, Trump cultists, to storm the Capitol Building, on January 6, 2021, and, encouraging them to engage in, “A trial by combat.” At another instance, he admonished the rebels to, “take matters into their own hands.” He was justifiably and with ample cause, disbarred by his applicable Bar Association. In his Georgia indictment, he is criminally, charged, among other things, with making false statements and soliciting false testimony. Additionally, in a highly publicized, State lawsuit he is accused of the knowing, injurious defamation of two innocent, [mother and daughter] Georgia poll watchers.

The television media has presented to the American public, Rudy’s participation in the ménage a trios with Trump and Putin. Other televised and newspaper, pictures have been shown, revealing a smiling, Rudy Giuliani in casual, open collar, casual and inebriate, celebratory occasions in the fraternal company of smiling, well-fed Russian oligarchs. 

Upon viewing this portrait of the exhibit, somehow, colorful and descriptive adjectives, such as, “opportunist,” “unprincipled” and “ego-centric,” seem, convincingly, to present themselves.

-p.