The law has many concepts useful for the non-legal world. One of my favorites is "stipulate." When opposing sides in a case agree on a certain fact, or set of facts, they can stipulate those facts, meaning—if I understand correctly—that they don't have to argue over them.
"We will stipulate that my client was indeed in the store the morning it was robbed, but will show that he left without taking anything."
Privately, I stipulate situations because I don't want to belabor them. Donald Trump is a liar, a bully and a fraud. This is clear to everyone it is ever going to be clear to, and anyone who doesn't see that by now never will. There is no need to wave around various examples of new lies, new examples of his beating up on the weak, fresh instances of chicanery. We get it. We've gotten it. We're going to get it.
Stipulating this allows a person thoroughly disgusted with our nation's dive into shame to divert his gaze from the oozing and grotesque horror unfolding hourly in Washington or, on the weekends, Florida. There is life outside of Trump's little shoebox diorama of a world, and I want to look at that.
However.
There is a risk that the president will be tuned out so thoroughly, that the utter wrongness of his words and actions will be muted to a degree that is dangerous. We don't want to risk accepting his behavior by silence. We don't want to ignore the horror, repetitive though it may be. Sometimes we have to force ourselves to look, on general principles. As a patriotic duty.
Thus let me post a trio of his tweets Sunday, coming to the defense of a Fox host who was canned after suggesting that Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar couldn't be a good American because she wears a hijab. To read the president's tweets in chronological order, start from the bottom.
This, 48 hours after 50 Muslims were slaughtered in New Zealand by a white nationalist who praised Trump before committing his atrocity.
Judge Pirro was a Fox ranter—I can't comment on her because I've never seen her in action. But she seems to be among those mirroring Trump's thoughts back to him. Notice how the president of the United States calls for a TV host to be re-instated—itself a mile beneath the dignity of the presidency in normal times—then blames Fox News dumping her on the "Radical Left Democrats"—if they had control over Fox, one assumes the network would be sucked into the gaping hellmouth that opens up under it.
In the second, a common theme: noticing the hatred they foment, against Muslims, against Hispanics, against whatever victim they've got their sights on at the moment, is "political correctness," a pearl-clutching collapse on the fainting couch of over-refinement.
"Be strong & prosper, be weak & die." Where did he get that? It sounds like a snippet of Klingon philosophy that lodged in the Trumpian brain after watching "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan."
And the third tweet. "Your competitors are jealous." Envy is a major motivating factor in the Trump world, second perhaps only to fear, so of course they see it everywhere they look. So many times I've heard from readers who can't wrap their head around opposing Trump for the aforementioned lies, bullying and fraud—it's just crrrrazy to them—nor perceive his valueless, pitiable life, but, dazzled by the gold-plated excess he wallows in, declare that those who oppose him are just "jealous" of his lux lifestyle. Like being Donald Trump were not a fate I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.
See why Trump is best ignored? Because if you don't, you have to think about this shit. And honestly, we haven't even parsed half of his grotesquely petty and sickening tweets on Sunday. With more certain to come today. I suppose we have to look, as punishment, for being part of a nation that permitted this. Then we have to look away. It's heartbreaking.
Jeanine Pirro was one of the talking heads on the nightly TV shows during the OJ trial. I used to see her on Larry King’s show and even Geraldo Rivera’s show. She seemed adequately intelligent at the time, but don’t quote me on that ...
ReplyDeleteI found it far more frightening that he went tweet crazy over an SNL rerun Sat. night & demanded that NBC be investigated by the FCC & the Federal Election Commission.
ReplyDeleteHe definitely wants to be a dictator & if he loses on 2020 [we can only hope], I'll bet he refuses to leave & says the election was rigged!
I keep hearing fears that Trump won't leave if he loses. At noon on Jan. 20, 2020 he is automatically no longer president and becomes a private citizen. I have to believe that the Secret Service will do their job and politely escort him out of the White House; he will simply be a trespasser (is that spelled right - it looks wrong).
DeleteI really hope you are absolutely correct. Another wish of mine is that he becomes so unhinged that it becomes crystal clear to everyone and no one, absolutely no one will vote for him.
DeleteThe Donald J Trump Presidential Library will be nothing more than a cell phone with access to his Twitter account.
ReplyDeleteWent to an art fair two summers ago, where each porta-john had a "Welcome to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library" sign taped to the door. Naturally, one "fell off' and found its way to the wall above the throne in my bathroom.
DeleteMy wife still watches MSNBC religiously, but I have given it up. I just can't take it anymore. The unceasing ribbon of bad news that pours out of the TV has become too much. And if His Orangeness claims massive election fraud after losing in 2020, and refuses to leave office, he will bring about Civil War 2.0...which is what he has been hoping for. Be careful what you wish for.
I would say more about that, but I have to visit the library...gotta go take a trump (small T).
And the DJT Museum will undoubtedly have a replica of Trump's White House tweeting room, complete with a gold Twitter throne. Ooo, I can't wait. 🙄
DeleteSo true about the exercise in futility of trying to convince his supporters with "proof of another" lie. I've wasted so much of my time on it to no avail.
ReplyDelete"It's not fair to blame Trump for white supremacy," they say, "He has frequently condemned racism, anti-semitism, etc." Well, this was his chance to draw a line and put himself on the right side of that line -- you don't condemn a political opponent for her/his religious views. It's offensive, anti-American and futile. Fox did the right thing, not easy for me to say, and Trump lost an opportunity to make himself look if not good at least ok.
ReplyDeletejohn
Now Trump is angry at GM for making him look bad by closing a plant in Ohio.
ReplyDeleteI could be wrong but Fox claims to have made a schedule change for that one night. I read no statement about a dismissal. Trump went to the McCain well again, I wonder if that is a litmus test for him, when the lemmings finally realize he is insulting a hero much the better than him, he'll know it's over.
ReplyDeleteOne tricky element is that mention of political correctness can appeal to many, including academics who think the liberal thought police have gone too far - "What, now you're going to tell me what pronoun to use?" For others the end of political correctness means, "Whew, we can call black people ni****s like grandpa used to do."
ReplyDeleteIs Donald Trump a racist incompetent fraud? Res ipso loquitor!
ReplyDeleteSad when a hero like McCain is being disrespected and turned into a bad guy by the right, which claims to love military. All because he may have rightfully turned in info on someone he felt was a threat to the U.S.?
ReplyDelete