My previous post outlined several of the ways by which Donald Trump's kleptocracy of an Administration was steeling from the American people. Even more recent events, however, make it clear that Trump and his cronies in and outside of Washington are far more dangerous than a mere kleptocracy. They are an existential menace not only to the existence of democracy, but the existence of the American people. And, perhaps, the people of the world.
Let's start the discussion of the ways in which this menace has manifested itself with a recap of the disaster Hurricane Maria visited on the island of Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory whose residence are U.S. citizens. As such, they are entitled to every bit as much protection and assistance in a time of crisis as were the residents of Texas and Florida during Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. They are entitled to it, but they haven't been receiving it.
For starters, during the initial phase of the post-Maria recovery efforts, and at a time when it was painfully obvious that Puerto Rico had suffered losses in property and life that even dwarfed the losses from Harvey and Irma, Trump was otherwise occupied. He was at war with the players and team owners of the NFL, over their support of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's decision to kneel during the playing of the National Anthem as a protest of violence against young black men. It was, in fact, only after Trump was shamed on social media for his gross negligence of his obligations to Puerto Ricans that he began to make serious efforts to start providing the assistance he should have focused on providing far earlier.
And, even then, he could have significantly increased the amount of aid available to them simply by signing a waiver of the Jones Act, the law that prevents foreign shipping from making deliveries at American ports. The Act permits such waivers, and granting one immediately could have benefited Puerto Rico while at the same time making the U.S. effort easier and more productive. Trump, however, announced that he was reluctant to grant such a waiver, because it would not make the shipping industry very happy. I am not making us up; I almost wish to G-d that I were. Enough lives have already been lost as a consequence of Trump's gross deriliction of duty. Who knows how many of those lives could have been spared if he had stopped thinking about the NFL for one minute and signed a Jones Act waiver?
And what does Trump do when confronted with evidence of his perfidy? Blame the victims, of course. Specifically, when called to account by the mayor of San Juan, Trump blames her and other Puerto Rican officials for not doing enough with the aid they've been given. Trump, who plays golf while the mayor in question wades through sewage to provide assistance to her people. I have no words to express how I feel about this level of hypocrisy.
Pray for the people of Puerto Rico, and give aid, however you can; here's one way. And, while you're at it, pray for the nine million or more children who will lose badly-needed health insurance because the current Congress allowed the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to expire as of the fiscal year that ended yesterday. Why they would do this is an utter mystery; CHIP was conceived and enacted as a bipartisan effort to provide health care for children who might not otherwise receive it. Of course, Hillary Clinton, back in her Senate days, was one of the legislative brains behind CHIP; perhaps its expiration is a poor substitute for locking her up.
Then again, make it easier on yourself and everyone else, and pray for the whole world; Trump may have found a way to ignite it, in the hope that the last thing that will happen before the end of the world is an increase in his poll numbers. Today, Trump responded to statements made by his Secretary of State about the availability of diplomatic channels for addressing nuclear tensions between the U.S. and North Korea, by telling him (in lay terms) to shut up and let him handle it. Or, as Trump put it (on Twitter, of course): "... we'll do what has to be done!"
Does Trump really not understand that this is tantamount to a declaration of war--and nuclear war, at that? He seems to be literally hell-bent on making the kind of mistakes John F. Kennedy feared would be made during the Cuban Missile Crisis. For that matter, he seems to want to create his very own Cuban Missile Crisis, at the expense of the safety of his country and, quite possible, the safety of the entire world. How is it possible for him to screw up this badly? And is there no one around him, not even his family, who can pour a drop of sense into his walnut-sized brain?
We can no longer afford the luxury of waiting for Donald Trump to grow into the office of the Presidency. Donald Trump stopped "growing" somewhere around the age of 16. He is not going to become "presidential"; even conceiving of what that would be like is beyond him.
If ever there was a moment for the Republicans in charge of Congress to put aside their obsession with tax cuts for the rich, it is now. If ever there was a moment for Democrats in Congress to show a little spine and force the Republicans to face the growing menance all of us now face, regardless of party or ideology, it is now. If ever there was a time for Trump to be removed from the position of power he sadly occupies--by impeachment, or the 25th Amendment process, it is now.
Tomorrow may be literally too late. For all of us.
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