That which we count as outrages, by any other name would shock as odiously.

It’s a daily tragedy we face now: our American government’s current administration is led by a serial liar, consistent cheater, and self-interested, petulant, manifest dullard who fancies himself a sophisticate. We need to cease deluding ourselves that he has acumen or integrity or aspires to public service in any way. The common good has always been an unappealing enigma to this fellow. Unfortunately for the rest of humanity and for our planet, this shyster sucessfully manipulated enough people’s aspirations, hopes, fears, doubts, dreams, insecurities, ignorance and grievances to collect for himself enough votes to land back in our White House. What ensues in the necessarily paradoxical aftermath when a tyrant is democratically elected? We’re finding out.

Returning this man to the Oval Office is a stain on our nation. Consequences will be vile and lasting. The return of our 45th President, for him, was an exercise intended to keep himself out of courtrooms where he risked being held accountable for crimes. It’s not a wholly original motivation for seeking political power. The swing for power sits squarely within his survival instinct; he knew he was at grave risk of losing his freedom. Becoming President again was his way out of that peril. With this mission accomplished, gravy on top now are vengeance and another run – a vastly more coordinated, planned, and strategic run this time – at the nearest thing to absolute power he can conjure. Benefits will accrue to cronies he considers loyal enough to be worthy of the carte blanche he has decided is his to give. Multiple levels of corruption and devastation are already rampant and we can & must track the details moving forward.

For today, let’s focus on just one bizarre and dangerous deflection this twisted administration has been leaning into so far. Talk of our sovereign neighbor to the north as though it would/could/should be a potential 51st state, and derisively calling the prior Canadian Prime Minister “Governor” instead of using his correct title, demeans us more than it does them. Why ramble on about such nonsense? Trump’s allies have long been unwitting masters of projection. With ambiguous if not disdainful attitudes toward democracy itself, they have no respect for democratic principles – here or around the world. They’re open to running our country off the rails economically while filling their own pocketbooks through privatization of core government functions. They have a tell: outbursts are confession with these folks. They point to a shiny object over there, to cover their tracks over here. Watch what they do, more than what they say. Many of their outlandish statements have a confessional bedrock beneath; hold their bizarre proclamations to the light and they begin to show their hand.

Rather than genuinely seeking to turn the nation of Canada into a US state, this guy and his gang hunger to turn America into a Russian oblast. Of which there are currently 46. These wannabe oligarchs long to be the 47th. What’s in a number??