Month: September 2024

For quite some time, we attempted vainly to fathom some rationally conceivable, explanation for the sustained, lemming-like worship of the bizarre and perverse Donald Trump. Does not Man. universally value family loyalty, patriotism, and military service? Does one not affirm the humanism demonstrated by the assistance to the needy and disabled, the promotion of healthy and safe working conditions, clean water, and a salubrious environment? Do such people candidly elect to scuttle the beneficial responsibilities of government to its citizens, including protection of the rights outlined in the Constitution’s Bill of Rights? Why would Trump’s quasi-religious cult of MAGA acolytes be in any way, willing to sacrifice their precious democratic benefits in the name of their lemming-like worship of Donald Trump, the latter person a despicable, egoistic, and amoral miscreant? Is it not obvious that his ascendence empirically portends the decline of the American salubriously free way of life, affecting, as well, such thoughtless, lemming-like Donald Trump sycophants? Is it not indisputable that he has declared his intention to rule as an autocrat if elected to the Presidency?

After much unsuccessful contemplation our epiphanic realization was triggered by a chance, enlightening recollection of John Frankheimer’s dark and frightening, psychological film,, “The Manchurian Candidate.” The film, set in the era of the American-Korean War, cinematically presents a disturbing scenario in which captured, loyal American soldiers, are expertly and tactically “brainwashed,” with the result of unconscionally obliging them, after release, to mandatorily comply with an internalized, instruction to assassinate the American President. It created the virtual epiphany by way of the conceivable projection relative to the MAGA adherents as in the case of the cinema’s fictional presentation, analogically subject to the effects of a Manchurian brainwashing;; but, in our contextual subject, the dynamic product of an entirely different etiology, but with the identical result as the cinematic portrayal of the tactical program of brainwashing.

It is our present conception that the identical effect of “brainwashing” of the thematic Trump adherents, had its singular origin, but, contrastingly, not in the cinematically portrayed, tactical, repetitive message, repeatedly delivered, and ultimately, effective, to the affected recipient, but, by contrast, in the case of the devout MAGA acolytes as a ubiquitously perceived and seductively ignorant, perceived Trump-inspired, demagogical panacea for eternal grievances and previously, thought immutable,. mundane discontent.

Like thin, dry wood kindling awaiting ignition, the prodigious number of insufficiently educated, and poorly informed populist Americans, proved to be easily ignitable by the stimulus of a demagogic, orange-dyed-hair, snake oil salesman, tactically proclaiming unspecific but complete relief from universal, long-held grievances, and the extant plethora of intangible, but persistent feelings of implacable and non-specific discontent. In contrast to the patriotically oriented cinematic protagonists who required intense brainwashing and deeply infused psychological persuasion,.the potentially brainwashed nascent Trump populist had been previously already possessed of sufficient and ready impetus to venerate anyone or any doctrine, that perceptively offered a transmogrification of his discontented life to a perceived acceptable one, buttressed by the support of a large and accommodating fraternity of like-minded grievance-laden-others. The dry kindling had long been prepared for ignition when a spark happened ton the scene. While the causation was different, the result was similar to the Manchurian syndrome, now with a new orange tint.

We take comfort in the optimism (especially, after the disastrous and unhinged performance at the Presidential Debate of the populist-, perceived Orange back alley route to Valhalla will be universally discredited and lose its Mad Hatter” illusionary attraction.

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In our earlier, more peripatetic life, we would, on occasion, enjoy eating at a salad bar. A “Salad Bar,” as commonly known, refers to a restaurant with a buffet-style table or bar, where diners can select and thereby, create their own personally preferred salad. It is the unique dynamic of the franchise to volitionally select choices (of salad ingredients), that constitutes the analogical basis of our present writing. In the referenced process, a diner will choose from a diversely presented array of comestible offerings viz., lettuces, vegetables, seafood or meat, savories, dressings, and other presented items, and select from the variety of proffered salad dressings; all such choices, based upon his nuanced taste and empirical experience. The combination of recollected past dining experiences and the opportunity for present choice is the fundamental analogy of this writing.

Continuing with such stated contextual analogy, it may be safe to say that past dining experiences, perhaps more than currently contrived presentation will most predictably govern one’s salad bar choices, and unfamiliar, exotic, or untried choices will usually be eschewed, in the understandable intention for a successful dining experience.

Sadly, recalled past experience in interaction with other people is distinguishable and portends no such predictable expectations. Unlike the familiar taste of much of the array of ubiquitous comestibles, by contrast, the human persona is multifaceted and manifestly unfathomable. Too often, character, capability, and persona are conceptually anticipated and then ultimately disproven. Similar injustice is found in flawed pre-judgments that undervalue reliable individual character and capability. It is factually inarguable, that the projected evaluation of human character is nowhere as reliable as the result anticipated regarding a salad bar beefsteak tomato, or a displayed carrot, but rather, the inexact product of subjective, or nuanced perception.

Notably, no such impediment exists, in the singular case of the evaluation of the Republican choice of Donald J. Trump, an inarguably demonstrated, immoral, incapable, and autocrat as Presidential candidate. In this singular instance, an offensive taste and an empirically predictable, unsavory result would result from his democratically, “indigestible” election next November. In addition to his lack of moral compass and declared autocratic intentions, Trump has recently been publicly seen suffering from a discernable state of mental deterioration such that his various bizarre and incoherent pronouncements have merited the uniform description by the news media, as constituting confused”Word Salad,” the latter, not to be confused with the healthful and dining experience at a salad bar.

The enjoyable taste of an individually selected salad bar meal is many universes far from the perverse choice of an immoral, superannuated would-be tyrannical ruler, whose observable proclamations are not lucid or rational, but authoritatively describable as “word salad.” Fresh salad is appropriate to the salad bar, however, deteriorated Presidential candidates whose stale proclamations have been diagnosed as “word salad,” have no place in the Nation’s Oval Office.

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Many readers will remember, perhaps with a measure of nostalgia, the public school procedure operative in our early grades to secure permission to visit the “boy’s” or “girl’s” room, One would earnestly and, often, longingly, raise our hand, until recognized by the teacher, then request permission to leave the classroom to visit the bathroom, Provided that, in the nuanced individual case, the franchise was not tactically overused (suggesting another motive for leaving class) the request was granted. The young student was procedurally handed a wooden pass (often made in the ” Boy’s Wood Shop”) to advise any designated hallway inquisitor the bearer had been granted authoritative permission to be absent from his assigned class. Upon return, the student would, gratefully, return the wooden hall pass to the teacher.

Our adult lives are similarly governed by traditional behavior and beliefs and practices inured in us by our family and familiar associates, unfortunately, including our thematic subject of choice of voter preference. This practice, in the context of representative democracy, is less useful or appropriate than the volitional vote, based upon an individualized decision. based on one’s perception of events. Relative to our Nation’s two-party political configuration, many individuals are inclined to vote, for the party candidate their family, or friendly associates are known to favor. Such sophomoric motivation is useless, and misleading, as failing to be democratically expressive of citizens’ preferences,

The “group-think” or social alliance motivation, has been an extremely hazardous phenomenon in our age of Trump-MAGA-affiliated loyalists who appear to favor the Trump-autocratic context of anti-democratic, extra-constitutional rule. The thoughtless, mind-epoxied consolidation of Trump’s cultish followers, seem to derive comfort in their “lemming-like” conglomeration of numerous followers, cultishly supporting Trump, irrespective of his adjudicated multi-criminality, demonstrated lack of moral compass, egoistic incompetence, and proclaimed intention to rule as a dictator ( N.B., lemmings are traditionally known for unthinkingly committing mass suicide).

As known, Donald Trump will be running on the Republican ticket, the latter party, presently inclusive of MAGA cultists as well as other long-time, committed Republicans who evince intimidation due to the substantial voting impact of the MAGA hoard., but nevertheless are fearful for the endurance of the Democratic Republic under another Trump Presidency. Most of the latter individuals have never voted Democratic In their long identification as Republicans and are trapped in the paradox of being caught between the Scilia of loyalty to the Republican Party and the Chartybdis of a disastrous demise of democracy, i.e., “between a rock and a hard place.”

The recent fortuitous, patriotic declarations of former Conservative, Republican Senator Liz Cheney, and most impactfully, of her father, Dick Cheney, the past United States Vice-President, (known by mainstream liberal Americans for his arch-conservative policies, as “Darth Vader,”) patriotically delivered a permissively needed analogous “Hall Pass” to traditional freedom-loving Republicans, permitting a vote against the democracy threatening Donald Trump and for the Democratic Nominee, Kamala Harris is, in this instance, in the interest of the democratic Nation; and that the same constitutes the citizen’s vote protective of democracy and not Democratic partisanship.

This historically important “Hall Pass” to traditional Republican voters represents an existential aid to the continuance of our democracy, and, notably, in an opposite directional dynamic to our analogous “Hall Pass,” prevents a voyage to the Trump political latrine.

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We had not succeeded in our many attempts to comprehend the empirical dynamics of the extent of hostility and virtual hatred generated by the societal existence of divergent political beliefs. As noted in earlier writings, the American forefathers, maintained the expectation (now perceived, by us as pollyannaish), that within the context of the new Nation’s liberty and freedom of speech, informed citizens would interactively and socially engage in principled debate on the issues of the day and that the results of such dedicated debates would inform Government policy, thus achieving the desired goal of the philosophically intended, “Government, by and for the People.”

Alas, just the contrary occurred. As we have extensively written, differences in opinion led to acrimonious societal divisiveness to the extent of “tribal” groups sharing a mutual opinion in a state of hostility or “cold war” with other groups of disparate views. Rather than interactive discussion and attempts at accommodation, the Nation incubated a palpably overt hatred of individuals of divergent opinions. It was no longer a singular to experience familial strife and the discontinuance of long-term friendships founded in the divisive strain generated by hotly contested issues, such as abortion, gun control immigration, tax inequity, vaccination, racial and gender equality, homosexuality, and gender issues, educational policy, religionism, global warming and the environment, the need for governmental regulatory supervision of societal health and safety, and religious influence in civil government.

Political influencers, most notably, the democracy-corrupting influence of Donald J. Trump, promoted and encouraged such rancorous division benefiting from his cult-like support by the disgruntled, reductionist populists (MAGA) in the Nation. Negativity, conspiratorial ideations, and atavistically hateful approaches to societally important issues such as equality, racial, ethnic, and gender, tactically served Trump’s autocratic purpose of societal alienation and hostility which defined and strengthened his political influence notably, among the Nation’s large inventory of less-than-adequately educated populists. The reputed just and liberally enlightened, modern American society was reduced to evincing a divisive, rancorous, mistrustful conglomeration of mistrustful and adamant oppositionists.

Our Nation has historically enjoyed success from its aspiration toward the universally accepted idiom “E Pluribus Unum,” and to true equality and rational cohesion. Our present writing is a sincere utilitarian suggestion as to the amelioration of the prevailing negativity and divisive rancor, and hopefully. restoration to its prior condition.

It may be useful at this juncture, to momentarily change the subject, in aid of our radical-seeming, perhaps simplistic, and ubiquitously applicable suggestion employing an explanation of our title, which has reference to the common roof-top phenomenon known as a “weather vane.” As universally known and recognized, the weather vane is a simple device, installed on the roof of a building structure (usually residential) which, by its simple mobility, indicates the general direction of the wind current. The object often is presented in the configured shape of a chicken but is also seen in various other farm-related configurations. The singular function is to indicate the extant direction of the wind current, in concert with its simultaneous direction. The salient point is that the weather vane functionally changes in sync with the changing direction of the wind current and serves as an analogy, to the dynamics of our contextual theme.

Our thematic suggestion is proposed in aid of the existential need to ameliorate the divisive rancor existing among our citizenry in theory is inarguably simplistic. Nevertheless, at the risk of an indictment for being reductive, we will sincerely reveal it, but admittedly, with the caveat that its implementation would require substantial thought and dedicated ingenuity.

It may be salubrious to suggest that American citizens make an earnest attempt to concentrate on what they approve of, in contrast to what they vehemently oppose. With the appropriate impetus, the change could be as facile as the shifting of the weather vane responsive to the alteration in breeze direction. The eternal angry opposition to principles deemed detestable has proven not to be productive of concession or adjustment of adamantly adverse opinion. Angry opposition or vehement rejection is not, by any degree of measurable utility, nearly as useful and accommodating as overt and positive statements of belief. This change of direction might well encourage responsible debate instead of blind anger and afford the result of a socially acceptable community, s mutually seeking positive improvement and advancement.

A change of the National weather vane to a cooling breeze would be useful and immeasurably preferable to the continuance of a stagnant and heated atmosphere.

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Our Nation’s history reveals a mixed experience of good, and not-so-good, Presidential leadership, One might compare the laudable Presidential services of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Franklyn Roosevelt, and more recently,of Barack Obama, with the less-than-desirable service of Presidents, Andrew Jackson or Richard Nixon; however, there exists no valid empirical comparison with the bizarre, nightmarish record of the persona of President Donald Trump.

We had endeavored for a considerable period to comprehend Trump’s nuanced persona. whose single term of twice-impeached Presidency, evinced an egoistic incapability, and proclivity to criminality but, nevertheless persists as a hazardous, highly toxic threat to the endurance of our Republican Democracy.

Donald Trump’s singular record in office presented a singularly inept misrule and a shockingly demonstrated perverse persona, whose distorted perception challenges empirical analysis. We may have in past writings, commented sufficiently on his bizarre and neurotic egocentrism, one, manifested in the perverse exclusion of empirical reality from consideration, an unabashed incompetency, and a demonstrated lack of moral compass,. At the risk of redundancy, we find ourselves unable to resist another challenging essay at such comprehension; our present attempt, founded in our non-profession. presumed, account of his errant development and later maturation.

In such challenging endeavor, two French expressions appear to be descriptively utilitarian:viz., “mauvais enfant,” and “infant terrible.” To simply define these closely related appellations, one might visualize an obnoxious child, who maintains a combination of an unencumbered and unrestrainable ego, adamantly unrestrained by his anarchistic behavioral resolve, in a limitless and neurotic drive for constante recognition and adored celebrity.

We have,permissibly presumed, Donald Trump’s childhood, as evincing early and grossly distorted traits of self-presumed celebrity and a consequent, unrequitable need for adoration; later developing into an adult-age demonstrated need for unlimited adulation (“cult worship”) regarding his distorted perceptions and singular anti-societal behavior. Our protagonist’s innate and insatiable need for attention and adoration may be illustrated by the anecdotal example of the young child who tactically and painfully, kicks his sitting mother in the shins, despite the expectation of a punitive response, yet prioritizing his desperate, neurotic need for personal attention. By performing in the latter, analogous style, Trump can in garnering such needed attention, delude himself into believing that he is successful (“a winner”), but, each such neurotic success is experienced only temporarily,.

Such lifelong, all-consuming egocentric preoccupation with his neurotic agenda has, predictably, led to Presidential failures and shameful disgrace to the Nation, internationally. and domestically. In the category of international malpractice, for example, because of his personal neurotic preoccupations, and his consequent indifference to the National interest, he has befriended autocratic leaders like Putin and other tyrannical American enemies in comforting exchange for their tactical adoration, In said personal endeavors, he has threatened Ukraine and the existence of NATO, the latter constituting the most essential peacekeeping force since the end of the Second World, withdrew from the Paris Treaty on the environment, castigated immigrants, and separated their families, and in general so comported himself, (because of his self-absorbed, infantile egomania ) to be an international laughingstock. A small, but representative sample of his domestic catastrophes might include, his gross negligence during the pandemic, resulting in tens of thousands of unnecessary American mortalities, his elimination of regulatory protections, his bigotry against, and abuse of women, ultimately resulting in a reversal of their right to abortion (with the necessary assistance of certain Justices of SCOTUS, appointed by him, his support of Christian White Nationalists, not to mention his election denial and sponsorship of an insurrection against the American Government. Is it necessary to add to this dumpster-full sample of disgrace, his two Congressional impeachments, his criminal convictions and a full cornucopia of his criminal indictments?

In support of our thematic,. neurotic, “enfant terrible,” or “mauvais enfant,” Trump, obviously unabashed, and with the encouragement of his adoring MAGA cult, continues, at age 71 to reprise his insatiable, lifelong infantile aspiration for special attention and demonstrated adoration. By his empirical acts and pronouncements, we are obliged to conclude that Trump is hampered by his neurotic drive for attention and perceived love, which has persevered in his corpulent maturity, orange-dyed hair, and attainment of 71 years of age.

We are obliged, by our dedicated principles of candor, to admit that Donald J. Trump has, indeed, been enormously successful in his efforts to attract personal attention through T.V. news and otherwise. His visage, red tie, and orange-dyed hair have proven to be irresistible to the public view, albeit with the analogous aesthetic and irresistible impetus of an unsuccessful attempt to avoid looking at roadkill.

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Foremost among the efforts to stay informed about current events is the regular practice of news media viewing. In our case, it is MSNBC, largely, because we see the reportage as objective, but also because of its personally appealing center-liberal context. It is our view that, unlike entertainment choices, such sources of information should maintain an appropriate atmosphere of trust.

As our readers know, our penchant has eternally been for using language most reflective of the speaker’s or writer’s intended meaning. This principle is crucial in aesthetic composition, viz., poetry, and essays. As a matter of civic importance, news reporting should employ appropriate and clear vocabulary. vital to the moral responsibility of empirical accuracy, and resulting in confident acceptance. While we find ourselves satisfied with the quality of professionalism and resulting confidence, nevertheless, in the programmatic venue of news presentations, we find the arbitrary use of certain poorly chosen phrases, irksome and inappropriate to its responsible purpose.

We have also found that in such a trusted and responsible atmosphere, there exist certain unbecoming commercials that may tend to suggest that, like the news reportage, has, reliable verisimilitude. We are dismayed to note that many of such irresponsible commercials, shamefully, seem to be targeted at money-strapped senior citizens,

[Bizarre or misleading phraseology]: The remark, “I just can’t wrap my head around it.” instead of, “I cannot understand or comprehend the concept; ” “Take a listen,” instead of “Listen to this, “the observation, “There is no there, there,” rather than there is no basis for it,” the phrase, “We will return on the other side,” instead off we will resume after the commercial, or the station break,” the observation that, “These are “table-top” issues,” in place of, relate to matters of practical living,” or the euphemism, “communities of color,” instead of black or brown Americans, in the context of the delivery of the news detracts from the reality of the message and may be better reserved for more casual programs.

There is, notably, one truly mystifying ubiquitous verbal phenomenon, not especially limited to the media news, and, unlike the above, one while unaccountable and while, perhaps, not harmful, nevertheless, is entirely inexplicable and inappropriate. This matter refers to the simple, too often used and misused word, “so.” The word’s appropriate utility is ubiquitously utilized used in an explanatory context as in, “It was raining [so] we, took the umbrella,” or, They did not show up [so] we left without them,” Nevertheless, the word has somehow been transmogrified to a mandatory use as prefatory to the response to questions, regardless of the subject, For example, an environmental expert may be questioned about the rate of global warming. His response predictably, and unexplainably, will be preceded by the word, “so.'” An eye witness may be asked about the facts of an auto accident and will, predictably precede her specific response with the seemingly mandatory word, “so.”We find the inappropriate use of the word, “so,” misleading, and its misuse be discouraged.

(b) [ Advertising] Misleading commercials, usually, deceitful to the elderly, should be eliminated, especially from news programs that contextually exist to communicate the truth./ The advertisements seeking the redemption of insurance policies and equity home mortgages are misleading and should not be accepted by news programs, Life insurance for which premiums were paid for decades, calculated on actuarial tables concerning life expectancy should not, beneficially, be sold back to the insured (unless desperate) for a price which affords the insurer a windfall by avoiding the contractual payment of its ultimate financial benefit, notably more empirically imminent in the elderly, Moreover, the intended and designated beneficiary will be deprived of the policy benefits.

Equity loan mortgage solicitations intentionally fail to include significant details such as, the taxes and upkeep of the realty nevertheless, is payable by the owner, and, many ramifications of the transaction; such as, if, as often is the case, an elderly sibling or other relative of the owner is a resident, he must vacate if the title owner dies. It is also exasperatingly deceitful to advertise that the monies saved are “not taxable” when their source is the owner’s own earned equity,

Casual patois and deceitful commercials are inappropriate, in the dedicated media news, where trust and accuracy are preeminent,; incidentally, including, the oxymoronic and deceitful phrase, “free gift; ” the universal definition of the noun, “gift,” describes a free transaction.

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