The U.S., Born Out of Protest Protests have played a significant role throughout U.S. history. Indeed, the United States was born out of protest. What we now call the Revolutionary War was, in fact, a protest by American colonists opposed to the policies of the Kingdom of Great Britain. The seeds for this war were… More
Trump Hunkers in the Bunker
The Death of One Man Despite the bungled response to the Covid-19 pandemic that contributed to an unjustifiable death toll, Donald Trump and his sycophants took a victory lap, declaring it was a job well done. To them, the horrific loss of life that could have been mitigated isn’t as vitally important as the stock… More
Death and Trumponomics
From Bankruptcy to the Presidency Donald Trump claims to have brilliant business acumen, but anyone who’s watched his career knows this isn’t borne out by the facts. His father started him out with a nest egg of $400 million—passed on to him in questionable tax-free transactions—and since then, Donald has driven a long string of… More
The Cult of Trumpism
Emotional or Rational Decision Making Salesmen, admen and con men all understand that their pitch has to appeal to the irrational, emotional part of the buyer. Some twelve years ago, a friend, Russell H. Granger, published The 7 Triggers to Yes, a how-to book for those who must persuade others to achieve success in their work. Backing… More
No Wizard, No Brain, No Heart and No Courage
The Wizard of Oz Many people have compared Donald Trump to the Wizard in The Wizard of Oz. Both are self-promoting, grandiose charlatans, who present themselves as saviors when, in fact, they are just chubby weak men hiding behind a facade. If I were in the film business, I think a retelling starring Donald Trump… More
The Incompetent Narcissist
Narcissism After three plus years of listening to and watching Donald Trump, I know I’m not alone in concluding he’s an incompetent narcissist. It wasn’t so long ago that the word “narcissist” was used primarily by professionals like psychiatrists and psychoanalysts. But in the time of Trump, it’s a word that gets bandied about, and… More
Bernie, It’s Time to Withdraw
A majority of Democrats, independents and appalled Republicans agree Joe biden is best suited to defeat Donald Trump; Bernis Sanders
A Clear and Present Danger
Origin of the Phrase You might think the phrase, “A Clear and Present Danger” is only a movie title. But it’s not. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendel Holmes, Jr. coined the phrase in a famous opinion on freedom of speech. It defines an exception to First Amendment rights. He concluded that no one has a… More
The Dangerous Rise of Autocracy
The Worst Autocrats of the 20th Century An autocracy is a system of government controlled by one person with absolute power. Our founding fathers designed a unique form of democratic government with built-in safeguards that significantly distinguishes it from an autocracy. For example, countries with democratic governments are less likely to preemptively make war, but… More
Trump—Divides Americans, Unifies Enemies
A Dickensian Tale To paraphrase Charles Dickens: It was the most unifying of times, it was the most divisive of times; it was the epoch of unquestioning belief, it was the epoch of perpetual incredulity; it was the spring of blind faith, it was the winter of discerning despair. Donald John Trump, bankrupt real estate… More