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There are two mistakes that top Donald Trump's biggest blunders. First...he made the media his enemy. And second...well...I'll get to that later in this commentary.
There should be a neon light flashing above the heads of every politician since Richard Nixon...because it's impossible for them not to know...that Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein, Ben Bradlee and The Washington Post...opened the door for all journalists who followed...that the press will never back away from a President of the United States...who lies...who is involved in any kind of a cover-up...or who appears to possibly be someone that may have committed a crime. Of course there is no definitive evidence - at this juncture - that Donald Trump himself...colluded with Russia in order to meddle with the 2016 election. However...I think that day is coming...and sooner, rather than later. But as far as allegations that Trump obstructed justice...well, that's a whole other can of worms. We all heard him tell NBC News chief anchor Lester Holt...in an exclusive interview on May 11th, 2017... that Trump fired F.B.I. Director James Comey because of the Russia investigation. "I was going to fire Comey. My decision. When I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said you know...this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made up story. It's an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election." Those words are what lawyers and other legal experts have stated is obstruction of justice. Beyond that... there are "gobs" of proof - I think that describes it perfectly - that Trump has lied. And he has done it - let's use the word again - "gobs" of times. All that being said... let's go back to Trump's war with the media.
At his Tuesday, August 22nd, 2017 fiery rally in Phoenix, Arizona...Trump's toxic tongue lashed out at The Washington Post...calling the newspaper "a lobbying tool for Amazon." Trump insulted and degraded ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos...calling him..."little George." Trump also ripped apart CNN...tagging the network as "so bad and so pathetic." And he bashed The New York Times... identifying it as "failing" and "so bad."
Trump escalated his viciousness at the turbulent rally with the following despicable remarks about our nation's free press.
"If you wanted to discover the source of the division in our country...look no further than the fake news and the crooked media."
"So the...and I mean truly dishonest people...in the media and the fake media... they make up stories...they have no sources in many cases. They say a source says, there is no such thing. But they don't report the facts."
"The only people giving a platform to these hate groups is the media itself and the fake news."
"These are really, really dishonest people and they're bad people. And I really think they don't like our country, I really believe that."
"These are sick people."
For the President of the United States to verbalize with such vile language is beneath the Office that Trump is supposed to represent.
We have known for more than two years that Donald Trump has a strong hatred for the press...and that except for Fox News - and perhaps a couple of conservative commentators - he could do without any of us in the media.
After the Charlottesville, Virginia protest on Saturday, August 12th...Trump painted a clear picture that he doesn't give a damn about people who are violent against African-Americans and Jews. Remember this? With malicious intent to do harm...neo-Nazis, white supremacists, white nationalists and Ku Klux Klansmen violently beat up people in Charlottesville and one person was brutally murdered while 19 others were seriously injured. Yet Trump remarked that there were "very fine people on both sides." He actually blamed "both sides" for the "violence."
By pardoning former Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona on Friday, August 25th...Trump demonstrated that he doesn't care about the abuse of Latinos. Arpaio had been convicted in July of criminal contempt for ignoring a judge's order... not to detain suspected undocumented immigrants. Arpaio has been tagged "a racist monster" for imprisoning Latinos in his infamous "Tent City" jail. Arpaio himself labeled the outdoor complex "a concentration camp"...where in the Arizona summertime, temperatures topped 120 degrees. Prisoners died...and frequently they did so with no explanation.
Also on August 25th, @SarahThyre tweeted to Ivanka Trump..."Your father pardoned a man who made a woman give birth in shackles." And on Saturday, August 26th, Michael DiGaetano posted on Facebook..."I slept in this morning. Did I miss Trump pardoning Hitler?"
But Donald Trump's pardoning of Arpaio was all about helping himself. After all...since Trump announced his candidacy for president, he has been adamant about building a wall on the U.S./Mexico border. And why? Well let me remind you of Trump's own words on June 16th, 2015...when he demeaned Mexicans - and Latinos overall - for being "criminals," "rapists," "drug (dealers)"
and "bad people." So obviously, with Trump's pardon of Arpaio, he condones what Arpaio did to defenseless Latinos who were being recklessly abused in unthinkable living conditions. That is...if you can call that life. But in Trump's demented mind...his pardoning of Arpaio...further supports his reasons to build that wall...so that undocumented Latino immigrants don't enter our nation. At his Phoenix rally, Trump insisted that if "we have to close down our government, we're building that wall." But on Friday, September 1st, The Washington Post reported that Trump pulled back his threat to shut down the government, in October, if Congress doesn't appropriate funds to build the wall. I can tell you right now - as I have written in other columns in the past - there will be no wall this year...next year...or ever. So Trump needs to stop touting that there will be one...because there will never be such a wall.
After not caring about violence against Jews, African-Americans and Latinos... Donald Trump's latest lack of empathy was towards the victims of Hurricane Harvey. While visiting Corpus Christi, Texas on Tuesday, August 29th...Trump incited controversy from the media...from Democrats...and yes, from many Republicans too...because of his insensitivity towards the victims of a Category Four hurricane that struck Texas and Louisiana. Even a destructive hurricane didn't affect Trump's pattern of narcissism that it's all about him...and all about how even a death-storm can benefit him.
Do you recall the Republican National Convention and Trump's acceptance speech as their party's nominee? "I am your voice," he roared. Well...after the hurricane, I didn't see him being anybody's voice in Texas...except his own when he held a press briefing in Corpus Christi. Trump's focus was only on himself...not the millions of Americans whose state was ravaged by the horrors of a killer storm. Hurricane Harvey dumped more than 50 inches of rain - that's more than one-trillion gallons of water - on "The Lone Star State." It displaced tens-of-thousands of residents from their homes...and has, so far, claimed the lives of 31 people, including a Houston veteran police officer. But instead of pouring his heart out for the people of Texas... and for the people of Louisiana...Trump stroked and praised Cabinet members and other government officials. Not once did he convey any compassion for individuals - many of whom voted for him last year (since Trump won Texas in the presidential election).
How did the President of the United States go to a state...that was devastated by a hurricane catastrophe...yet he never got his feet wet? Trump saw no damage close up. He never went to meet with any homeless victims who are now in shelters because their houses have been flooded out and destroyed...or washed away completely. Nor did Trump do as President Barack Obama did after Hurricane Sandy...or as President George W. Bush did after Hurricane Katrina...by hugging men and women...boys and girls...to communicate some presidential affection.
On Wednesday, August 30th, I posted on my Facebook page...photographs of President Obama, President Bush 43 and President Bill Clinton - all of whom were embracing people following tragedies in our country. Along with the pictures, I wrote..."In times of disaster, President Bill Clinton, President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama were caring, compassionate, comforting and consoling Commanders-In-Chief. Donald Trump was campaigning."
Trump never - while in Texas - shared his in-person sympathies with victims of Hurricane Harvey. Nobody, first-hand, was given the opportunity to hear the President's hopes for their healing...or his prayers for peace and tranquility in their lives. Trump never offered to sit down with people who have been anguished by horrendous hardship...to hear him say...Don't worry, we're going to take care of you. Everything's going to be alright. Granted, it may never be alright with some people. And with others, it may be someday, but not for a very long time. But it would have been nice for Donald Trump...for the President of the United States...to personally tell people...I'm here for you. Democrats - and others who voted for Hillary Clinton or perhaps another candidate in the 2016 election - would have also appreciated hearing those words from Trump. Instead...after his press briefing...Trump appeared outside a firehouse in Corpus Christi...where supporters had gathered to get a glimpse of the President. But Trump wasn't being the President. He was being the candidate...as if he was still running for election...as if it was all about him. "What a crowd! What a turnout!" Trump's narcissism - as I have written in numerous columns over the last two years - was and is...nauseating.
It wasn't until Vice President Mike Pence visited Texas on Thursday, August 31st when the Number Two man in The White House did what the Number One man should have done...when Trump went to Texas two days earlier. Pence assured Texans... "We are with you. The American people are with you. We are here today. We will be here tomorrow. And we will be here everyday until this city and this state and this region rebuild bigger and better than ever before."
On Friday, August 25th, Trump exhibited his bigotry towards the LGBTQ community when he signed his order to ban military recruits who are transgender. This is one more time that Trump has undone something good that President Obama put in to effect. Trump's directive also orders Pentagon brass from using any resources to provide medical treatment regimens for transgender Americans who are currently enlisted in our armed forces. In addition, a White House official - who briefed reporters of the new guidelines - said Trump's order instructs the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security "to determine how to address transgender individuals currently serving...based on military effectiveness and lethality, unitary cohesion, budgetary constraints, applicable law, and all factors that may be relevant." But the official wouldn't confirm whether transgender individuals... who are today vital members of our military, as are all people who serve...will or will not be allowed to stay in the service under Trump's new policy. Yet The White House spokesperson claims that Trump's directive is in no way discrimination against transgenders or anyone who might identify himself or herself as either lesbian, gay, bisexual or questioning. The official noted that Trump is "going to continue to ensure that the rights of the LGBTQ community, as well as all Americans, is protected." Well it sure doesn't sound like that to me. As the old saying goes..."If it looks like a duck... walks like a duck...and quacks like a duck...it must be a duck." Trump insists the policy is based on national security considerations. Nope. It's prejudice, discrimination and bigotry...plain and simple. A 2016 Rand Corporation study says that of the 1.3 million people serving in the U.S. military...between 1,320 and 6,630 individuals are transgender. I'm sure each of them would call Trump's order... discrimination. Meanwhile, Democrats on Capitol Hill say they will fight Trump's ban on transgenders...and already, Democrats in the U.S. Senate plan to use a defense bill to put the brakes on Trump's directive. Some Congressional Republicans have also been highly critical of Trump's order.
Should anyone be surprised by Donald Trump's offensive actions, cruel behavior and disgusting attitude since first sitting down in the chair behind The Oval Office desk nearly seven-and-a-half months ago? No, they shouldn't be. Should anyone be shocked that Trump would speak in hateful, racist and bigoted tones, as he did following the deadly Charlottesville protest? No, they shouldn't be. And here's why.
For five-and-a-half years of President Obama's eight years in The White House... Donald Trump insisted that Mr. Obama was not born in the United States. His so-called "birther movement" was a disgraceful effort in his ugly attempt to prove - with no facts whatsoever - that President Obama was not a U.S. born citizen. Nevertheless, Trump tried to poison the minds of Americans nationwide. Unfortunately, he was able to persuade nearly half of self-identified Republicans...to believe that baby Barack Obama came in to this world...in Kenya...not in Hawaii. But Honolulu - in our 50th state - is the actual birthplace of our 44th President...and that is what is printed on Mr. Obama's birth certificate. Despite that truthful document...a poll by The Economist magazine and YouGov - conducted shortly before President Obama left office in January...says 42 percent of Republicans refuse to back down from their moronic view that Barack Obama - who was elected and who served two terms as our President - was not born in the United States. And if we go back just a little more in time to May 2016...and a survey by Public Policy Polling...59 percent of Republicans - who intended to vote for Donald Trump in the upcoming election - stated without any doubt...that President Obama was not born in our country. Furthermore, that same poll showed that only 13 percent of so-called "Trumpers" believed Mr. Obama's religious faith is Christian...while two-thirds of Trump supporters were convinced that President Obama is a Muslim.
Any sane individual - unless you're a racist bigot - has to admit that President Obama is definitely a U.S. born citizen...and that he is indeed a Christian. That being said, it wasn't until September 16th, 2016 that Trump himself finally acknowledged that "President Barack Obama was born in the United States." But was that merely a political move just to gain points with Independent voters and even Republicans - or perhaps some Democrats too - who were on the fence for whom they were planning to cast their ballots? Was Trump's reasons for claiming Mr. Obama was not an American born citizen purely because President Obama is African-American? It certainly leads one to believe that Barack Obama's black skin color was the reason for Trump's birther conspiracy to continue for about three-quarters of Mr. Obama's presidency. It was March 23rd, 2011 - on Barbara Walters' ABC daytime television program, The View - when Donald Trump asked..."Why doesn't he show his birth certificate? There's something on that birth certificate he doesn't like." And on March 28th, 2011 - to Fox News - Trump said about President Obama..."I'm starting to wonder myself whether or not he was born in this country."
So of Donald Trump's two biggest mistakes...what is the other one? It was the firing of F.B.I. Director James Comey. It will be the demise of Trump's presidency. Dismissing Comey will be the hammer that Bob Mueller uses to nail Trump's presidential coffin closed...metaphorically speaking. Terminating Comey while he was leading the Russia investigation is going to cook Trump's goose and burn it to a crisp. Getting rid of Comey is what led Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to appoint Bob Mueller as Special Prosecutor. And it will be Mueller - a former F.B.I. Director himself - and ultimately Congress...who will take down Trump either through impeachment by the House of Representatives followed by conviction and removal from office by the Senate...or - as it was with Richard Nixon - resignation.
So Donald Trump would have been better off being nice to the press. He should never have started attacking the media in nefarious frenzies. But Trump needed to think he could control the likes of The Washington Post...The New York Times...the Associated Press...NBC/MSNBC...CNN...ABC...CBS...and many other reputable news organizations throughout America. Too bad, Donald...you can't. And as such...you now deserve every morsel of criticism...that you get.
And that's The Controversy for today.
I'm Gary B. Duglin.
"We'll talk again."
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Excellent commentary, Gary. What folks have to understand is that we are not dealing with a sane individual. Because of Trumps pathological malignant narcissism he often is not in touch with reality. His mental illness leads to destructive and irrational behavior, with little basis in reality. His delusions (defined as false beliefs) and insatiable need for continual adulation lead him to make irrational decisions with no evidence of thoughtful considerations. He will do whatever it takes to hold on to his ever diminishing core base of support. As Charles Blow, an oped writer for the NYTimes recently pointed out, when Trump eventually self implodes (often referred to as a psychotic break) or is impeached, will his core supporters believe he was brought down by the "fake media" and using the guns many have begin an armed rebellion. As I mentioned in past reactions to your postings, my anger is not directed at a mentally ill individual, but at the many spineless Republicans who have continued to support this deranged pathetic individual to accomplish their political agenda. If Mike Pence were to become president he would get a long honeymoon period in which to enact his evangelical agenda which would attack the separation of church and state and continue to dismantle LGBT rights that have been so hard earned. And most importantly he would be able to nominate hard core conservative Supreme Court justices who would be on the court for another generation.
ReplyDeleteI fail to see any positive outcomes to Trump's loss of the presidency other than a personal sense of seeing this poor excuse of a man lose his opportunity to further feed his sick narcissism.
Michael, thank you very much for your generous compliment about my column. I greatly appreciate your praise and I appreciate someone such as yourself who recognizes the truth.
DeleteI do agree that by impeaching and removing Donald Trump from Office would give America a president in Mike Pence who would attempt to bring other forms of chaos to our country. However, I would hope, at that point, that Congress would do its part in keeping Pence in line. I am hoping that no other U.S. Supreme Court Justice resigns or dies anytime soon. I am cautiously optimistic that Americans will make a monumental change with the Senate in the 2018 mid-term election (and hopefully also with the House). Once the Senate is controlled by the Democrats, neither Donald Trump (if he's still president) or Mike Pence (if Trump has been impeached/removed from office or he has resigned) would be able to put a total conservative on the high court as the Democrats will not confirm any Supreme Court Justice who would even show an inkling of the agenda that you describe above and that Trump or Pence would want. I can only hope that should Trump leave office - either through a lawful and legal process by Congress or through his own hands by resignation - that Mike Pence will realize that the country, as a whole, will not put up with lunacy in The White House. Despite Pence's bigoted ways towards certain human rights, I have to weigh his "evangelical agenda" against Donald Trump's "sick narcissism" and the dangers that our nation and our world could face if Trump spins totally out of control with an international incident. At this point, I can only wonder what the outcome would be with either one...and both nauseate me.
Thank you again, Michael, for your comments, and thanks for being a loyal reader of The Controversy.
GBD
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeletePlease remove me from your email list.
ReplyDeleteYou are contributing to the divisiveness and nothing to healing our country. Read about Cloward & Piven (top down bottom up strategy), Rules for Radicals, Fabian Socialist, Eugenics movement (origin of Planned Parenthood and the Nazi final solution), George Soros, radical Islamist and all of the others that advocated for the destruction of our country. It is up to the PEOPLE to resist the urge to follow and not lead us out the quagmire of democratic and republican self-serving actions.
This president is our president. Objectively this president is being targeted more than the prior presidents. He invites critical comments and act as none before him. He is different but, if you do your research, you will find the things you are criticizing have been done by those you applaud. Ignorance of history is used to manipulate.
We the PEOPLE need to return to the values of our faith and constitution which provide us God given rights. Once we transfer the origin of our rights to man we begin the journey to the loss of our freedom. If you are in favor of the government providing for you vs. self-sufficiency you lose no matter what form of governance you choose. Sheep are always sheered and often eaten.
The Pilgrims discovered that capitalism, before it was named, provided success and survival. Even our atheist founding fathers knew the Judea / Christian faiths provided a valuable set of principles for governing.
The media is not objective or principled. You need to do your own research. It takes work to discover the truth. There is a lot of misinformation in the world. Too many people are content to let others tell them what to think and say. Many of the problems we are dealing with today were formulated decades ago by patient adversaries.
We are in a perfect storm of enemies at our gates. Are you joining them or joining those that created this bastion of freedom, which is unlike any that existed before, imperfect as it is? Too many of us have sat back and left the hard work of maintaining our republic to others and failed to hold those that governed accountable. Now we need to work hard to restore it.
You are not doing that with this site. Take a lesson from Texas, people helping each other. This is what happens when we get off social media and go out face to face with others. Empathy evolves to compassionate action. Self-sacrifice often results in great satisfaction and results.
I am working hard to adhere to the principals of my faith and support our country in positive ways. Contributing to charities such as the relief efforts in Texas, Covenant House in NY, Shelters for women, homeless and donating to religious organizations with excellent track records. I am proud to say my children are better than I, serving as EMT’s, Volunteer Fireman, a Marine, and in the service of the government.
As with faith, words are meaningless without actions. If more people took positive actions, instead of sitting back judging others, we would be the country you claim to want. Words without actions, without principals, are worthless. You can sit at your computer and be a social media critic or you can be active in healing our country. Words that are divisive are contributing to the poison that is being fostered by hate groups funded by those, foreign and domestic. I want no part of it. Social media has become a great forum for people who do nothing but talk, criticize, and offer very little to resolve the problems we face today.
Please remove me from your mailing list.
Response to the above reader will be in four parts.
DeletePART ONE OF FOUR
I had, at first, deleted the reader's comments above, but then decided that I would re-publish them since my policy has always been to only remove comments that include profanities or personal attacks. All that being said, I have given this particular reader - whomever he or she is - the opportunity to spew his or her venom this one last time.
Twice - once at the beginning of the comments and once at the end - the reader asks to have his or her name removed from our mailing list. The Controversy does have a mailing list for some individuals, but being an international forum with readers from throughout the United States and all around the world, obviously people find The Controversy by many different means - ie: promotions, social media, etc. But since the reader above never signed his or her name at the end of the comments, and since the person logged in to The Controversy by using the "anonymous" banner (which is available to readers and is acceptable, but surely not preferred)...we have no way of knowing the name of the person, so therefore, if he or she is on our mailing list, we cannot remove his or her name.
Now I will reply to just a few of the readers remarks. Besides that, the rest of his or her trash-talk is not worth my time to respond.
GBD
END OF PART ONE OF FOUR
PART TWO OF FOUR
DeleteLet's look at this comment by you. "Objectively this president is being targeted more than the prior presidents. He invites critical comments and act as none before him. He is different but, if you do your research, you will find the things you are criticizing have been done by those you applaud. Ignorance of history is used to manipulate."
It's not that Donald Trump is being "targeted more than the prior presidents." He is someone who has verbally attacked people from all walks of life for more than 2 years...and unfortunately some of the people in our country who voted for him - and accepted Trump's offensive, demeaning, degrading, belittling, bigoted and overall insulting comments throughout the campaign - are now (based on polls and focus groups) sorry they did cast their ballots for such a cruel, heartless and dangerous man whose daily performance is beneath anything the Office of the President has ever seen before...and I include Richard Nixon's Office. Trump's lies have been proven time and time again, and as each day goes by, more and more evidence is being discovered and revealed that will eventually cause Trump's political demise. Obstruction of justice and crimes pertaining to colluding with Russia may end up being just the tip of the iceberg. Your words "if you do your research, you will find the things you are criticizing have been done by those you applaud" are totally false. First of all...I do my own research and my views are based on facts. There has never been an American president who has uttered the vile language that Trump has and who has treated the American people as poorly as he has, especially in the first 7 months of a presidency...and going back more than two years throughout the presidential campaign.
Now to this comment of yours. "The media is not objective or principled. You need to do your own research. It takes work to discover the truth. There is a lot of misinformation in the world. Too many people are content to let others tell them what to think and say. Many of the problems we are dealing with today were formulated decades ago by patient adversaries."
As I already noted, I do ALL of my own research. You will note that I do quote The Washington Post, The New York Times, NBC or a variety of other reputable news organizations. They report - as I do - truth and facts. The only "fake news" is that coming out of Trumpworld and by such right-wing outlets that exist on merely kissing Trump's butt.
GBD
END OF PART TWO OF FOUR
PART THREE OF FOUR
DeleteNow to these comments of yours. "We are in a perfect storm of enemies at our gates. Are you joining them or joining those that created this bastion of freedom, which is unlike any that existed before, imperfect as it is? Too many of us have sat back and left the hard work of maintaining our republic to others and failed to hold those that governed accountable. Now we need to work hard to restore it. You are not doing that with this site. Take a lesson from Texas, people helping each other. This is what happens when we get off social media and go out face to face with others. Empathy evolves to compassionate action. Self-sacrifice often results in great satisfaction and results."
You do what most Republicans who are "Trumpers" do. You want to blame and insult Democrats for terrorism and others who you claim are "enemies at our gates." Don't get me started on that because you won't like my answer. But since I have made this observation of FACTS in columns from the past, I will make this one note. If President George W. Bush had listened to his own counter-terrorism adviser, Richard Clarke...it's quite possible that 9/11 would never have happened. I'll just leave it at that. You talk about "freedom." America is the land of freedom for all who want to live here...as long as they obey the laws. America was created to welcome people from all lands, people of all ethnicities, all races and all religions. Our nation was founded on the principles that we should not slam the door in their faces or lock them out with threats of a wall that will never be built. The Controversy...this site...was founded by me so that I and others could express views - both liberal and conservative - but not lies. Opinions are welcome. Lies are not. And unfortunately, the "Liar-In-Chief" is living in The White House. You say that I should "take a lesson from Texas, people helping each other." That was my line to Donald Trump. If he had done earlier in the week what he did today in Houston, Trump would have been applauded. It was the first time in two years - especially in 7 months - that Trump did anything decent. He visited a shelter with victims of Hurricane Harvey and he actually took part in handing out food to people. He hugged people. He took pictures (selfies) with people. He smiled. That was the purpose of part of my column above. To show that Trump was not being presidential...that he was not comforting people who needed comfort from the President of the United States. If Trump had done these things when he went to Corpus Christi, you would have heard praise not criticism. But Trump invites his own criticism by being Trump. And based on a 33 percent approval rating...more and more people everyday are getting fed up with Trump. As for today in Houston...Donald Trump is a performer. Was today for real...or was it all a big act because of all the criticism he received during the week? I want to believe that every human has even a modicum of decency, down deep in their soul. I've had my doubts - for good reasons - about Trump. Maybe he did discover some decency this week and today will not simply be a one-time act, but the beginning of a true president down the road. (LOL) Nope! That just isn't going to happen. I wish I would...but it won't.
GBD
END OF PART THREE OF FOUR
PART FOUR OF FOUR
DeleteNow...as I said at the outset, I generally do not publish personal attacks by my readers. However, I did publish your last paragraph just so I could respond. You have no right accusing me of not taking "action" to help our country. You have no idea what I do to help others beyond "sit(ting) at (my) computer and be(ing) a social media critic." Not that I need to defend myself to the likes of someone with your ignorance, but I have been a journalist for more than 40 years. I am not a "social media critic." I have been active all my life in helping to "heal our country" (when necessary) in a variety of ways. It is people like you who seem to think you are holier than thou who are a danger to our country and who are destroying it. It is people like you who are being "divisive" and who are "contributing to the poison that is being fostered by hate groups." You can claim you "want no part of it" but yet you speak with hypocritical tones. The Controversy is a professional news forum that provides valuable views and facts, which welcomes the same from its readers who provide the same - whether liberal, moderate or conservative in nature.
The Controversy has no problem removing your name from our mailing list. However, that means you have to provide us with your name. It is, therefore, obvious that you must have the e-mail address from which promotions are sent. Feel free to send your request to that address - with your name and e-mail address - and we will remove your name from our contact list.
I will add this one last point. You seem to have some serious anger and hate issues towards Democrats, liberals, progressives and the media. Hmmm. Are you sure you're not Donald Trump?
GBD
END OF PART FOUR OF FOUR
Excellent response to "anonymous." I would like to add more to my previous post on Trump's serious mental illness that makes it dangerous for him to continue to serve as president. I had carefully laid out the fact that he meets every criteria for diagnosis as Narcissistic Personality Disorder. I would also suggest he shares some of the criteria for Antisocial Personality Disorder as well. These characteristics include his inordinate lying, indifference to the suffering of others, his inability to develop or feel empathy and his pathological tendency to cheat and con innocent people.
DeleteThere has been a great debate in the mental health field recently on the approiateness of diagnosing an individual without a thorough psychiatric evaluation. In 1964 the American Psychiatric Association adopted the "Goldwater Rule" which stated that it is unethical for psychiatrists to diagnose an individual without a personal face to face clinical interview. This was a result of the furor engendered by some psychiatrists suggesting that then presidential candidate Senator Barry Goldwater was mentally unfit to be president. Since the adoption of the Goldwater Rule, psychiatrists have been prohibited from diagnosing individuals without a clinical interview. Other mental health professionals, such as psychologists and clinical social workers have included in their code of ethics a prohibition against this type of diagnosing.
In the past six months a number of prominent psychiatrists have called for the abolishment of the Goldwater Rule in the belief that they have a higher ethical obligation to use their knowledge of mental illness to warn the American people of the danger of having a seriously impaired man with his finger on the nuclear button. I find myself, as a licensed psychologist to be in agreement with those who feel the Goldwater Rule should not apply to the dangerous seriously impaired man in the Oval Office.
Michael, your response above was well thought out and well crafted. I'm glad someone such as yourself - who holds a degree in psychology and who professionally works as a licensed psychologist - has made the observations that you have in your comments above. I appreciate your views and the truthfulness that you represent. I have made numerous claims for two years - long before the election and long before Donald Trump received the Republican nomination - that he is narcissisticly dangerous and mentally unfit to be president. However, since I'm not a psychologist, I have been chastised that I don't have the knowledge to make such a diagnosis. Perhaps not. At least not officially or professionally. But I have read certain literature that defines with absolute certainty EXACTLY what you have stated with your many years of EXPERT professionalism. And since YOU are a psychologist, I hope that the anonymous reader above - and others who sadly agree with him or her - will read your two comments above and that he or she will understand that he or she is supporting - in plain English...and in layman's terms - "a lunatic in The White House." But since my word "lunatic" is not based on any educational degree or any expert experience in the field of psychology...then I yield myself to you and others who do have that background. And for that, I thank you very much for your EXPERT remarks. But for other readers who will not have the benefit of reading your comments in the future...I suppose I'll just have to continue using the word "lunatic" to describe a man who should never have been elected to sit behind The Oval Office desk and who hopefully will not bury our country before he is told by Congress...or by special prosecutor Bob Mueller...or by Americans overall...that he is - in reality TV lingo - "thrown off the island"..."evicted from the Big Brother house"...or to use the words that Trump famously coined on his own reality television shows... "You're fired." GBD
DeleteAs usual with Republicans - especially conservatives who are haters - you want to put your own spin on matters that are not applicable to my column.
ReplyDeletePresident Lyndon B. Johnson was not the issue of my column, nor was President Bill Clinton.
I lived through the Vietnam War and my lottery number was drawn. I missed going to Vietnam by 31 days. Thanks to President Richard Nixon, he ended the draft and ended American involvement in the war. As much as Mr. Nixon was wrong with Watergate...and he deserved having to resign (he would have been impeached and removed from office), Richard Nixon did other great things as President. Now, I had no love for President Johnson with regards to him continuing the Vietnam War. I wrote, produced and hosted a one-hour broadcast documentary on the Vietnam War and the tragic loss of 58,000 Americans who were killed. I won an award for that report. But all that being said, without President Johnson, there would be no Civil Rights Act, there would be no Medicare and Medicaid. On July 2nd, 1964, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act in to law. And LBJ signed the law for Medicare and Medicaid on July 30th, 1965. So yes...as angry and as upset as I was with President Johnson over the Vietnam War, I do salute him for the Civil Rights Act and Medicare/Medicaid.
Being a "serial cheater" - which there is no definitive proof of - is not a crime. A husband cheating on his wife..is not a crime. It's not right. It should not be done...but it is not illegal. If that was the case our prisons would be filled with men who have cheated on women and women who have cheated on men. To call President Clinton an "accused rapist" is a horrible, disgraceful and detestable statement. Just because someone is accused of something doesn't mean they are guilty. Mr. Clinton was NEVER convicted of such a vicious and violent crime. He was never indicted for such a crime. He was never even arrested for such a crime. Rape is a very, very, very serious crime and a powerful word to use when you say someone is accused of it. You are a "Clinton hater" and you are disgraceful. And...as for President Clinton lying to America...I have written columns on this subject. He never lied because he never had "sex" - which is sexual intercourse - with Monica Lewinsky. And don't write me paragraphs upon paragraphs with definitions of the word "sex" because I will not respond to you. I have responded to others in the past. President Clinton got a "BJ." THAT...is not "having sex."
So do NOT compare the lies...the offensive language...the deplorable - yes I'm using THAT word - insults...and the disgusting verbiage that Donald Trump has used over the last two-and-a-half years, and throughout his earlier past...to either President Clinton or President Johnson. The fact of the matter is that Bill Clinton still has a very high approval rating...and surveys have always shown that if the Constitution allowed it, Mr. Clinton could run and win the presidency again in a landslide over any Republican opponent. Bill Clinton is beloved in America and around the world.
Republicans like you want to continue to fall back on the 2016 election. You guys got to get over that Democrats oppose Donald Trump because he won the electoral vote in the 2016 election over Hillary Clinton. We are against Trump because of his thinking and his actions. You and other Republicans are lunatics by thinking the way you do. I've written about this in numerous other columns so I will not elaborate further here. It is you and other Republicans who obviously need the "mental help." Wait until Donald Trump is impeached and removed from office...or he resigns. Trump will sooner rather than later be evicted from The White House...legally...and lawfully. But it IS going to happen. Just wait and see. Then people like you can cry your eyes out when the country is free of Donald Trump.
GBD