No Respect, and No Surrender

Well, the illegitimate Trump “presidency” is already unfolding in disastrous fashion, just as most of us assumed it would.

Apart from his “band of unqualified billionaires” (translation:  cabinet selections), he’s begun to issue a series of berserk Executive orders.  As a special treat to the oil barons he’s looking to proceed with the Keystone pipeline--regardless of the environmental consequences-- and the Dakota access pipeline--oblivious to desecration of tribal lands and burial locales.

As a nod to evangelicals and rabid-right Republicans that he hoodwinked on the issue, he reinstated President Reagan’s ill--informed global abortion gag rule.

Finally, of course, he’s looking to proceed with his deluded border wall.  Mexico will refuse to pay, as they should, for Trump’s folly.  On the heels of that, the would-be president is resurrecting his crackdown on immigrants and refugees in general, but Muslims in particular.  The racist tendencies of Trump and many (if not most) of his supporters are blossoming into full flower.

I’ve read several pieces in the past few days, suggesting that Trump is not of “sound mind”, and should immediately resign.  I agree.  His temperament will apparently not allow him to accept the fact that the significant majority of voters in the recent election did not choose him.  In fact, Hillary Clinton defeated him by close to three million votes in the popular vote count.  Add in the votes cast for Jill Stein and the Green Party, along with the votes cast for Gary Johnson and the Libertarians, and Trump falls even further from getting anywhere near the 50% mark.  His paranoid/narcissist personality is such that he has to claim there was widespread voter fraud--on the basis of no evidence whatsoever.

In similar fashion, Trump chooses to ignore photographic evidence and accept that the crowds for his “inauguration” fell far short of President Obama’s in both 2008 and 2012.  Instead, he embarrassed himself and dishonored members of the CIA when he stood before the wall of stars at Langley and used that visit to laud himself for the number of instances Time magazine had chosen him for their cover, as well as for his imagined “inauguration” crowd size.  As former CIA Director Brennan and former Deputy Director Philip Mudd have subsequently reminded him--the stars on that wall honored actual people; it was not the time or place for Trump’s self-congratulatory nonsense.  Trump also rattled on about the standing ovation he received at the CIA--pretty easy to do when you never invite your captive audience to have a seat!

The Trump apologists, especially Sean Spicer and the inimitable Kellyanne Conway, are doing their best to spin “alternative facts” (i.e. lies), but the cracks in Donald’s demeanor are already showing.  Comey and Putin have bestowed us with damaged goods.  Take a rest, Mr. Trump, a lengthy and permanent rest down at Mar-a-Lago.  America has been great all along; we don’t need you charting a lesser course.

This administration certainly doesn’t deserve our respect, and God knows--we’ll NEVER surrender!