DISCOVER CHALLENGE | Conventional Wisdom
Conventional wisdom at this point in time is anything but wise. This is officially a rant. I don’t do it often, but just sometimes … well … I need a good rant and here it is.
I’m hearing a lot of “give him a chance” and “maybe he’ll surprise you” and “you might as well get used to it.” Sometimes, but not always followed by “just get over it.”
I’m not getting over it. I’m not even trying to get over it. He may surprise me, but I doubt it will be a happy surprise. So far, at every turn, he has proved not merely as bad as I thought he could be, but worse than I feared — and that is bad. Really. Very. Bad. I believed after he was the leader of this country, some sense of responsibility would set limits on his egoism and immorality. That, as the president of all the people — even the ones who didn’t vote for him (which is most of us) — he would display a modicum of concern for the consequences of his actions. After all, the future of the planet is at stake.
I suppose he has surprised me. He is much worse than I believed possible. This president actually seems to think reality is whatever he says it is. Not what we see with our own eyes, but what he tells us is true. Alternative facts. ALTERNATIVE FACTS? Oh, you mean lies.
Humpty Dumpty is President of the United States.
“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean —neither more nor less.”
“The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.”
“The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master—that’s all.”
— LEWIS CARROLL (Charles L. Dodgson), Through the Looking-Glass, chapter 6, p. 205 (1934). First published in 1872.
I know governments lie to their citizens. They always have. They spin facts until they are so dizzy, they fall over in a faint … but generally, when there’s actually film of the event, they cave in and admit that something happened. Not this president. Uh uh. This one assures us that what we see is not real. He will tell us what is real, what to believe. If he says the sun is shining when rain was falling, we must say “YES, it was the sun because HE said it was the sun. The lying media was dropping wet stuff to confuse us.”
In a world where the chief executive of the world’s most powerful nation lies about everything — and seems to not even know that there is such a thing as facts and truth — everything is up for grabs. Nothing is real, nothing is true. All spin, no facts. Reality has been obliterated. From the weather, to his relationship with the security services, to his tax returns, to his cozy relationship with Vlad, it’s all spinning like a top. From this conventional wisdom, deal me out. I’m not getting used to it, over it, or giving it more chances. Hell no!
I’m angry and deeply disturbed by what I see. I’m watching a lifetime of trying to make the world a little better being erased.
I’m not going to accept it. Never. I refuse.
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Categories: #American-history, POTUS, Quotation
SERENDIPITY - SEEKING INTELLIGENT LIFE ON EARTH 
Humpty Dumpty — let’s hope the fall comes soon.
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My sentiments precisely!
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As. I have been repeatedly saying to others, I will never give in to ignorance. This demagogue cannot turn me into a nonsensical servant for his misguided leadership.
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I hope we don’t fine ourselves gagged. It may seem impossible, but this whole scenario seemed impossible a few months ago.
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I hear you.
Leslie
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To a degree, I think “we are all screwed” sums it up pretty well. I just hope he doesn’t start a nuclear war.
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Me too!
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And Spicer says, “He believes what he believes.” So what does his cabinet think of this? Are they all scared to lose their jobs or do they really believe him? Or just yes men, who go along with ‘what he believes?’
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I don’t know. Very good question. What do you think?
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I don’t know what to believe, except we are all screwed.
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Good summary.
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It’s unbelievable for me, a simple european living in Europe. I think he has been taking it from the Turkish president, another do it yourself person. I am now trying to hold back on comments, but it still disgusts me. I am surprised that one man can decide to sign documents, in front of a running camera, and it’s OK. Does he have so much power, does he not have to have support for his “I had a dream” ideas.
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Some things he can do because they are in his purview. Others, he can say he wants to do, but he needs Congress to write a bill and then to pass that bill … and then, probably, defend it to the Supreme Court. It depends on whether or not what he is doing is “executive” or “legislative” or “congressional.” There are gray areas not spelled out in the constitution. Those are things that wind up in front of the Court who are the final arbiters, at least in theory.
I don’t frankly understand what has happened here. This is so outside anything I even imagined could happen in my country. It IS disgusting. And painful. I spent a lifetime trying to do the right things and here we are. I feel like my entire life has been rendered null and void. It’s not a nice feeling. Short of going back to Israel (like you, I’m a dual citizen) and dragging Garry with me — something highly unlikely — this is my home. I was born here and I will probably die here. But to have this be the last president of my life is utterly appalling.
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I’ve also noticed that the courts will be terribly busy — we’ve already “litigated” the election, we are about to “litigate” the size of the inaugurations, and we seem to be “litigating” alternative facts! Not even the language is safe!
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For a person who has spent a lifetime verifying information, then verifying it again, this is my ultimate nightmare.
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I just read some of the “highlights” from yesterday’s Presidential tweets. Doesn’t look good.
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