Monday, February 19, 2018

America is under attack—why isn't the president defending us?

Benedict Arnold
     America is not known for traitors.
     There were the Rosenbergs, Julius and Ethel. Put to death in 1953 for slipping nuclear weapon secrets to the Soviets. And Jonathan Pollard, with his long prison stint for a two-bit treachery that was more about aiding Israel than hurting the United States.
     They're historical trivia now. The only really famous betrayer of our country is that original American traitor, Benedict Arnold. Most Americans know the name, though could not, I would bet, offer up much regarding who Arnold was or what he did to earn his deathless disgrace.
     Arnold was a hero in the Continental Army. In May 1775, he led a small party that seized Fort Ticonderoga from the British. He later invaded Canada, leading a march through Maine. The trek was famed for its hardship — his men were reduced to eating dogs and shoe leather. They attacked Quebec on New Year's Eve 1775 but did not succeed.
     A brave general. But by 1779, motivated by petty slights and a need for money, Arnold began communicating with the British. He accepted the command of West Point specifically because there he could "render the most essential service" to our enemy.
     Arnold's treason was twofold. Not only did he convey the design of the fort to the British, but in the summer of 1780, he neglected the defenses of West Point. He did not keep his troops in readiness because he planned to surrender the fort.
     Maybe you see where I'm going with this. That second part of Arnold's treason is relevant today.


To continue reading, click here.

10 comments:

  1. At some point, when Mueller's investigation is complete, I won't be surprised to hear that Trump & family have boarded his 757 & are fleeing to Russia.
    I hope that the Air Force is ordered to shoot it down!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Trump is unfit to serve as president. Strictly 4-F. Bone spurs in the supramarginal gyrus. Think he feels anything for those kids in Florida? Unlikely. Just another blemish to conceal. Never mind that the image he projects is always Trumpian, never American. Is he one of us? Doubtful. Has anyone checked his birth certificate? Do we even know if he's human? Maybe we need to consider a quarantine. Wall him in at Mar-a-Lago.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Calling Oprah insecure is a classic act of "projection." I can't fault Donald Trump for being insecure. Not only is he ill equipped to be President of the United States, he's got a whole bunch of Damocles swords hanging over his head: the collusion investigation; his sexual misdoings; financial mischief; immigration quandaries; and more. As Cicero said, "Does not Dionysius seem to have made it sufficiently clear that there can be nothing happy for the person over whom some fear always looms?"

    john

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think the Russians have something on him.

    ReplyDelete
  5. If you read the constitution the section on treason is narrowly written. I doubt that you could get him on that. And even collusion in probably not criminal. If anything Mueller could probably get him on tax evasion and maybe money laundering if you read David Cay Johnston's book Making of Donald Trump

    ReplyDelete
  6. Racists, klansmen and murderers in Charlottesburg and Trump says there was good and bad on both sides. Umpteen claims of sexual harassment, assault ,and rape but no admission from Herr Drumpf that just one women might have a valid claim. That he has not responded strongly to Russian interference is telling, a possible de facto admission of guilt. That republican leaders, Ryan, McConnell, Graham et al, have not stormed the White House demanding action is the most blatant example of political cowardice I have ever seen. The republicans know Trump is a serial liar, they are not stupid. Expediance to advance their political agendas is the reason for their silence. To not draw the line now borders on treason.

    ReplyDelete
  7. You're right on target here, NS. Collusion in 2016? Not proven yet, but seems likely, and we'll probably find out for sure before long. But the other part is as plain as day at this point, and requires no proof beyond reading his tweets and observing his refusal to execute the sanctions that were overwhelmingly, via rare bipartisanship, enacted by Congress.

    Not fake news, at all. It's very obvious that he's more concerned about not offending Russia than he is about defending America. I wonder why that might be. Kompromat, anyone?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tom Friedman laid it out clearly in his NYT column today.
      "My guess is what Trump is hiding has to do with money. It’s something about his financial ties to business elites tied to the Kremlin. They may own a big stake in him. Who can forget that quote from his son Donald Trump Jr. from back in 2008: “Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross section of a lot of our assets.” They may own our president."
      https://goo.gl/DW61B4

      I'm also guessing that a lot of the condos he's sold to Russians in his buildings have been sold at inflated prices to launder the money & he then kicks back the excess to the buyer in some way that seems legit.

      Delete
    2. I'm guessing that your guessing is spot-on.

      Delete

Comments are moderated, and posted at the discretion of the proprietor.