NOW IS NOT A TIME TO BE SILENT

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     I have always tried to be an example of goodness.  I don't have a temper - not usually at least - but I am human, and as with any of us, there will eventually be something that causes an individual to snap and say things that we don't really mean.  Of course there are times when we speak out exactly how we feel.

     Now is not a time to be silent.  We cannot let coronavirus silence our First Amendment right of free speech; no matter who it is we are lacing in to with our words - but only our words, never our fists.

     I've been an active member, for nearly 47 years - in one form or another - of "The Fourth Estate," the press and news media.  Throughout the vast majority of my journalism career I remained neutral.  As a radio news anchor and reporter, and as a radio talk show host, I never let on my personal political beliefs to anyone.  I kept completely closemouthed about all of my political views.  I never shared with anyone whether I was a liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican, or someone in the center; uncommitted to a political party.  That all changed in 2012 when I created The Controversy.  I am a lifelong Democrat; a proud Democrat.  And although I self-identify myself as an ultra-progressive liberal, I realize that such views are too far to the left of most Democrats and certainly most left-leaning Independents.  Therefore, I vote for a candidate not only for their policies, but for them as a person.  Their character, their integrity, and whether I can trust him or her are essential to my decision when casting my ballot.  

     For nearly five years - since he announced his Republican candidacy - I have been outspoken about Donald Trump.  I have not held back with my thoughts about Trump, and I have no apologies whatsoever for expressing my opinions; most of which have been supported by truth and facts.
    

     When Trump explosively blew-up and maliciously attacked NBC News White House Correspondent Peter Alexander on Friday, March 20th, 2020 during a press conference in The White House Briefing Room, I became livid. As we battle coronavirus (COVID-19), we Earthlings - no matter where on the globe we live - need to practice "Social Distancing."  But there's no reason we have to practice "Social Media Distancing." Not being someone who promotes or participates in physical violence in any way, I used my freedom of speech by taking to social media, to voice - in writing - the furious emotions I was feeling.  I was fuming to such a degree that I wanted to shout from the rooftop of my building.

     Trump throughout the press briefing was being overly optimistic about doctors treating people who are suffering from coronavirus with a drug that is prescribed for malaria victims.  But one of our nation's top scientists says there is no proof of success by administering hydroxychloroquine to coronavirus patients.  Dr. Anthony Fauci is the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and he didn't mince words when he contradicted Trump about giving individuals hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19.  "You really can't make any definitive statement about it."  And when Dr. Fauci was asked by a reporter if hydroxychloroquine could effectively be used prophylactically against coronavirus, he could not be any clearer.  "The answer is no."  But Trump didn't stop praising the medication, and stated that "Uncle Sam" has ordered "millions of units."  Meanwhile, three days later on Monday, March 23rd, with the coronavirus pandemic "accelerating," according to the World Health Organization, and with some medical experts believing that even tougher measures of social distancing be implemented, Donald Trump continues to butt heads with Dr. Fauci.  In a late night, Sunday, March 22nd tweet, Trump hinted that he might roll back the social distancing recommendations after the government's 15-day start-up period ends on March 30th.  Trump wrote his tweet in all capital letters. "WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF.  AT THE END OF THE 15 DAY PERIOD, WE WILL MAKE A DECISION AS TO WHICH WAY WE WANT TO GO!"  But in an interview with Science magazine that was published on March 22nd, Dr. Fauci didn't hold back on his comments about Trump.  "He goes his own way.  He has his own style.  I can't jump in front of the microphone and push him down." 

     After exaggerating about the use of hydroxychloroquine on March 20th, saying that there have been "very, very encouraging results" (which according to medical experts isn't true), Trump took to Twitter on March 23rd and was "playing doctor" again.  The "master of malpractice" now says that combining hydroxychloroquine with the antibiotic azithromycin - commonly known as a Z-pack - is "looking very, very good" as a treatment for coronavirus, and could be - according to "Dr. Trump" - "one of the biggest game changers in the history of medicine."  But the Food and Drug Administration immediately did whatever they could do to take the wind out of Trump's sails because such a drug cocktail is not an "approved" treatment for COVID-19, and the FDA says there is no evidence that the combination of the two medications will do anything to cure a sick patient with coronavirus.  However, the World Health Organization, on March 23rd, did announce that hydroxychloroquine will be part of a global clinical trial test.

     There is additional tragedy concerning Trump's boasting about hydroxychloroquiine.  Nobody should ever take any medication without it being prescribed by a doctor, or at least consulting with a pharmacist when beginning any new over-the-counter medicine.  Self-medicating has caused an Arizona man to die on March 23rd after he and his wife, both in their 60s, took chloroquine phosphate, which they thought was the drug being touted by Donald Trump.  Banner Health, a hospital system in Phoenix, says the wife is in critical condition.  They apparently took ill within about 30 minutes after ingesting the chemical, which is an additive used to clean fish tanks.  The woman was able to vomit, thus much of the substance was regurgitated.  Her husband was unable to be resuscitated when he arrived at the emergency room.    

     When called upon to ask Trump a question at the March 20th press briefing, NBC's Peter Alexander first inquired, "Is it possible that your impulse to put a positive spin on things may be giving Americans a false sense of hope?"  Trump answered, "No, I don't think so."  He then continued sarcastically.  "Such a lovely question. Look, it may work and it may not work.  I feel good about it.  That's all it is, just a feeling.  You know, I'm a smart guy."  No, Donald.  You've proven to the world that you're not at all smart.

     But then came the Trump train wreck, as he launched in to a vicious rant against Peter Alexander while also ripping apart his employers - NBC and its parent company, Comcast.  There was absolutely nothing wrong with Alexander's next question.  It was totally legitimate and the veteran correspondent was doing his job and doing it extremely well.  But Trump was noticeably aggravated and agitated, as he shook his head with disgust, and responded to Peter Alexander by verbally pouncing on him.

     Peter Alexander:  "What do you say to Americans who are scared though?  I guess, nearly 200 dead, 14,000 who are sick, millions - as you witnessed, who are scared right now.  What do you say to Americans who are watching you right now who are scared?"

     Donald Trump:  "I say that you're a terrible reporter.  That's what I say.  I think it's a very nasty question.  And I think it's a very bad signal that you're putting out to the American people.  The American people are looking for answers, and they're looking for hope, and you're doing sensationalism.  And the same with NBC and 'Con-cast.'  I don't call it Comcast.  I call it 'Con-cast,' for whom you work.  Let me just tell you something.  That's really bad reporting.  And you ought to get back to reporting instead of sensationalism.  Let's see if it works.  It might and it might not. I happen to feel good about it.  But who knows?  I've been right a lot.  Let's see what happens.  You ought to be ashamed of yourself." 

     Peter Alexander remained completely professional throughout the exchange with Trump, doing exactly what any first-rate reporter would do.  He simply let Trump go ballistic on him, which made Trump look more and more like a raving lunatic who was tightening the noose around his own neck, as he descended in to a mental meltdown.

     Later in the press conference, Peter Alexander asked Vice President Mike Pence the same question he had earlier posed to Trump.  "What do you say to Americans who are scared?"  Now I'm not a fan of Pence, but in this instance, his answer was head over heels better than Trump's.  Pence replied the way a leader should respond; in a more civil and comforting fashion.  "Do not be afraid.  Be vigilant." 

     Afterwards, Peter Alexander appeared on Andrea Mitchell's MSNBC broadcast and he told the NBC News Senior Washington Correspondent that he merely intended to give Trump a "softball" question - in other words, something easy to answer - which was designed to give Trump the opportunity to "reassure" Americans who are frightened because of the coronavirus pandemic. Alexander was opening the door for Trump to walk through so he could "provide a sort of positive or uplifting message" to millions of Americans who were watching at that moment.

     A longtime friend of mine from college posted a Facebook video - the same day as Peter Alexander's run-in with Trump - that featured a tranquil ocean and beach scene.  The caption read, "All together now, breathe in...breathe out...aaannndd repeat."  I commented on his post that "after that disgraceful, explosive attack by Donald Trump on Peter Alexander of NBC News, your post is exactly what I need to do.  And I'm doing it now."  My friend - television and film producer Dan Cohen replied, "Sounds like you could use a couple more, Gary.  Come on...together now...breathe in...breathe out...aaannndd repeat."  I think I'm going to have to take Dan's advice quite a bit until at least the November 3rd election, and probably until Inauguration Day on January 20th, 2021.  I certainly hope my stress level will be reduced by then; meaning that Joe Biden will be our President, not Donald Trump. 

     When Donald Trump ran against Hillary Clinton four years ago, Trump wrote the playbook for the most negative presidential campaign in memory.  To label Trump's campaign - with its ongoing vulgarity and profanity - repulsive and abusive, would be an understatement.  Trump's toxic tongue spewed more venom than the fangs of a spitting cobra.  It's what encouraged former First Lady Michelle Obama to include in her stellar speech - at the 2016 Democratic Convention - the phrase, "When they go low, we go high."  I applauded Mrs. Obama.  But after three years of Trump in The White House, it's made me think of former Attorney General Eric Holder's phrase, "When they go low, we kick them."  However, being the non-violent type, I haven't done and won't be doing any kicking.  That doesn't mean that I won't vent my frustrations from time to time in this column.  And if you're a regular reader of The Controversy then you're well aware I've been doing that more frequently since Trump took the oath of office.

     America and the world are in dire straits.  Much of our country is in a total lockdown where people are self-quarantining themselves in an effort to stay clear of outside people who could possibly expose them to COVID-19.  But it wasn't too long ago - at a campaign rally in South Carolina on February 28th, 2020 - when Donald Trump targeted Democrats and the news media for being the culprits of mass hysteria throughout the United States, and that coronavirus was nothing more than a political "hoax."  Prior to that - on February 26th - Trump, at a White House press conference, in his style of lying, told reporters and the nation about America's first reported cases of COVID-19 on our home soil, which he claimed were 11 when there were actually 15.  "We're going to be pretty soon at only 5 people.  And we could be at just one or two people over the next short period of time.  So we've had very good luck."  Boy was he wrong about that.  The next day, on February 27th, Trump - thinking that he was channeling  Houdini or David Copperfield - was adamant that coronavirus will make like a rabbit in a hat.  "It's going to disappear.  One day, it's like a miracle, it will disappear."  

     So for weeks, Trump's attitude was one of nonchalant complacency, while ignoring the danger that was looming, and which scientists and doctors promised would become much, much worse.  But then on Friday, March 13th, Trump declared a national emergency, which allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to gain access to $50 billion in federal aid.  But it was Tuesday, March 17th when Trump did his own magic act when he appeared behind The White House podium and the presidential seal, and before reporters (and the American people watching on TV), he looked smack dab in to the camera...and lied.  "I felt it was a pandemic, long before it was called a pandemic."  Trump insisted, "I've always viewed it as very serious."  No, Donald.  You didn't.  You claimed it was a "hoax."

     Medical experts say millions of Americans - perhaps as many as 100 million people in the United States - will be infected by coronavirus, and a great many will die. Social distancing and self-quarantining are being considered urgent measures by anyone with an ounce of intelligence. Unfortunately, there are still people who either think they're invincible, or simply don't believe the seriousness of the disease. Therefore, I blame Donald Trump and his negligence, his lack of leadership, his recklessness, and his deceit from the start of the coronavirus outbreak for some Americans to laugh at a grave situation.     

     To quote the person who will likely be challenging Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, former Vice President Joe Biden on Friday, March 20th said, "In times like these, we should be able to look at the President and feel reassured that they are doing everything in their power to keep the American public safe and healthy. Unfortunately right now, we cannot.  We need a President with the ability to lead, the decency to tell the American people the truth, and the unselfishness and patriotism to allow the scientific experts to make the big decisions." 

     On Saturday, March 21st, Vice President Biden noted that "Moments of crises are often the moments that define a presidency.  The decisions that the American President chooses to make during a crisis speak volumes to their character and their ability to lead our nation."

     Right now, though, we have someone who calls himself "President," but says about coronavirus - as he did on March 13th when responding to a question from NBC News White House Correspondent Kristen Welker - "I don't take responsibility at all."  It's amazing that anyone can respect and admire Donald Trump, let alone care at all what he says.  Trump's incompetence is beyond mind-blowing. Let us remember that in 2018 the entire U.S. Pandemic Response Team was fired even though the Director of Medical and Biodefense Preparedness at the National Security Council warned Trump that a flu pandemic was America's number one health security threat. It was President Barack Obama who created that team.  But when White House Correspondent Yamiche Alcindor of the PBS News Hour asked Trump what "responsibiliity" he takes for disbanding the pandemic office, Trump jumped down Alcindor's throat and accused her of asking "a nasty question" while denying that it was his fault that the pandemic team was let go.  "I didn't do it.  I don't know anything about it."  Sure, Donald.  Keep lying.

     It's not Donald Trump's fault that coronavirus arrived on U.S. shores after it was first detected in China, but he is to blame for his apathetic response to the disease on day one.  Therefore, Trump being irresponsible, combined with the lies he told to benefit his own life and his own job, have caused more people to die who should still be alive today.  There is now the possibility that death will come to millions more Americans before a COVID-19 treatment and vaccine are available; the latter of which may not be for 18 months.

     The Washington Post's Carol Leonnig wrote on Saturday, March 21st, "Starting in January, Trump was warned of 'a globe-encircling pandemic' that could require swift actions.  But despite that constant flow of reporting, Trump continued publicly and privately to play down the threat the virus posed to Americans."  Trump had been given a report that was jam-packed with plenty of warnings, but he refrained from recognizing them.  But America's "liar-in-chief" - on Thursday, March 19th - claimed that the COVID-19 pandemic would not be so bad "if people would have known about it."  Trump blames China of covering up the coronavirus when it was in its early stages.  "The world is paying a very big price for what they did."  According to information compiled from reporting by The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, the first person to be diagnosed with coronavirus was a Chinese patient in Wuhan, China on December 10th, 2019.  Coronaviruses are zoonotic diseases, therefore, the virus itself jumps from animals to humans.  According to USA TODAY, "Early research suggests that the virus originated in bats and was transferred by a yet unknown intermediary animal to people."  However, that does not necessarily mean that coronavirus infects a person who has consumed such an intermediary animal, such as a chicken.  USA TODAY states that "Zoonotic diseases happen when humans and animals are near each other."  Business Insider reports that a "wet market" - "The Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan - may have been the starting point" of the coronavirus outbreak.  Business Insider says that "At many wet markets, meat, poultry, and seafood are sold alongside live animals for consumption." Over the last three months or so, coronavirus has taken an around the world journey.  With a brash, bigoted tone in his voice, Trump emphasizes the name "Chinese virus," instead of calling it coronavirus.  Most Americans have come to realize that Trump's racism and xenophobia are just more reasons - among dozens, if not hundreds of others - why Trump should not be sitting behind The Oval Office desk.

     Donald Trump never had the knowledge and the leadership skills to be President of the United States.  But his egomania would not allow him to listen to - let alone take - the advice of anyone.  Nevertheless, Trump always gives himself high marks for everything he does.  On Monday, March 16th, a reporter at a White House briefing asked Trump to rate his administration's success with the coronavirus outbreak on a scale of between 1 and 10.  "I'd rate it a 10.  I think we've done a great job."

     Trump is really off his rocker if he thinks he deserves a 10 rating.  The coronavirus pandemic - according to Worldometer - has infected more than 49,000 Americans and has killed 616, as this column is published.  Worldwide, more than 400,000 people have contracted coronavirus, and there has been 17,501 deaths, at the time of this column's publication, affecting 196 countries and territories.

     COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus, is - according to Johns Hopkins Medicine - "thought to spread mainly from person to person, between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet), and through respiratory droplets, produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.  These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs."  The World Health Organization says the vast majority of patients who are sick with coronavirus do recover within two weeks.  More severe cases have taken between three and six weeks for a full recovery.  As for the percentage of deaths versus cases of COVID-19, it's not definitive, but the WHO says the mortality rate is between 3 and 4 percent.  About 80 percent of coronavirus cases are reportedly self-resolved; 20 percent of people who fall ill are in need of hospitalization.  But it's the most vulnerable - the elderly and people with weakened immune systems, as a result of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and asthma, among other diseases - who are more at risk at becoming severely sick if they contract coronavirus.  Plus, there is an unknown number of people (perhaps many millions) walking around who are already infected by the coronavirus, but who just don't know it.  This is why the WHO, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, advise people of all ages to wash their hands often - for at least 20 seconds at a time - and to use plenty of soap and hot water.  Hand sanitizers are satisfactory if they are 70 percent alcohol, but health officials say to think of good old soap and water as your best friends.

     With the amount of coronavirus cases skyrocketing rather rapidly, the United States remains in desperate need of more protective equipment and lifesaving gear for doctors and nurses plus first responders including paramedics, firefighters, and police officers.  But if you believe Donald Trump - which of course we can't - Trump was upbeat on March 23rd when he suggested that "Normal life will return soon" and that "The hardship will end, it will end soon."  But scientists and physicians nationwide don't see eye to eye with a President who has no business making such predictions when he has no clue what he is talking about, and is therefore more like the chief executive of "Fantasyland."

     Meanwhile, the nation's ace medical expert on infectious diseases, Dr. Fauci, disagrees with Trump's optimism and feels it will take several more weeks until life may begin to return to the world of normalcy.  "I can't see that all of a sudden, next week or two weeks from now, it's going to be over.  I don't think there's a chance of that."  And the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Jerome Adams, was plain as day when he was interviewed on March 23rd on NBC's Today show.  "I want Americans to understand this week, it's going to get bad." 

     New York has become the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, and "The Empire State's" man-in-charge, Governor Andrew Cuomo, has been masterful with his daily press conferences.  But Governor Cuomo indicates that life is going to be challenging for quite awhile.  "I don't believe it's going to be a matter of weeks.  I believe it is going to be a matter of months.  But we are going to get through it."

     On March 17th, I posted a group of words on Facebook - my words - which I wrote to encourage everyone and that I'm reminding myself of everyday. "About coronavirus.  Be careful.  Stay healthy.  Don't panic.  Be optimistic. Try to be calm. Smile.  It's tough but we will get through this together."  For now though, about 100 million people in the United States are under a stay-at-home order.  That's nearly one of every three Americans.

     Other than essential businesses - restaurants, entertainment venues, malls, and other places of leisure and pleasure are closed throughout the United States.

     A scheduled vacation - or even a winter snow day - is welcomed by the students of America.  But with schools closed, our young people are being cheated out of their proms, graduations, and just day to day activities with their friends because of the coronavirus pandemic.  Most importantly for them, they are losing out - for the time being - of continuing their education.  And although there will always be some kids who think of school as a waste of time - except perhaps for recess and gym - I venture to guess that the vast majority of youngsters do value their time in classrooms as they learn from teachers.

     The International Olympic Committee decided on Tuesday, March 24th that "In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the WHO today, the IOC President and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community."  This is the first time in history that the Olympics have been postponed.  Never before has such a decision been made.  Only in wartime have the Games been fully canceled.  The IOC says even though the coronavirus has put a hold on the 2020 Summer Olympics until 2021, the Committee has ruled that "they will still be called the 2020 Tokyo Olympics."

     Sports throughout America had already been affected because of the COVID-19 outbreak.  Nearly every major sporting event in our country was suspended or canceled earlier in March, including championship tournaments for the National Basketball Association and NCAA.  The National Hockey League has pressed the pause button on its season.  And the words "Play ball" won't be heard - at least for the time being - in Major League Baseball stadiums nationwide.  Plus, the PGA Tour has also postponed The Masters golf tournament.  As for football, there has been no mention yet of canceling the start of the National Football League season as "NFL officials remain guardedly optimistic at this point, amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, that they'll be able to stage a complete or nearly complete 2020 regular season."  Football games aren't scheduled to begin until September.   

     Beyond the COVID-19 catastrophe that faces our country, we are also suffering an economic emergency as the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged from its all-time high of 29,551.42 on February 12th, 2020 to a low of 18,591.93 on March 23rd. The stock market has plummeted in to a zone of disaster, which - according to CNBC on March 23rd - "has sent the Dow down nearly 40 percent since last month," and therefore, "wiping out all the gains since Trump's election."  The Dow is currently on a turbulent pace for being the worst month since "The Great Depression." As a result, Donald Trump is apparently becoming a bonafide basket case over the beating the economy is receiving because of the coronavirus pandemic.  Of course Trump doesn't need to say it, and he never would, but a failing economy puts Trump's presidency in to the gutter, and he's obviously a nervous wreck about the 2020 election.  If our nation's economy doesn't improve soon, some experts think we could be headed to a major stock market crash that would make 1929 look like a celebration.  Even Trump admits that we "may be" in a recession already, while some economists are certain of it.  The above being said, the Dow - on March 24th, at the time this column is published - has surged on the hope a coronavirus rescue bill will be passed soon by Congress.

     Meanwhile on March 24th, Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Senate are reportedly "moving forward" on Capitol Hill as lawmakers continue to negotiate "Phase Three" of a massive stimulus package that could cost upwards of $2 trillion or more. Congress has already passed two other phases of economic relief legislation in response to the financial fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Republican of Kentucky) doesn't expect a vote before at least Wednesday, March 25th unless he and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (Democrat of New York) can come to terms before then, which could mean the full Senate could possibly vote late on March 24th.

      What more is it going to take before most Republicans - the Trump base known as "Trumpers" - begin to lash out at their hero, not just to oppose him, but to abandon him and force him to resign?  I asked a similar question, many months ago, when we were discussing Trump's illegal activities that included his abuse of power and obstruction of justice; the two charges against him by the United States House of Representatives.  But now, we're talking about a matter of life and death. 

     Some people have suggested that I not criticize Donald Trump while our nation - and our world - are in such a colossal crisis because of coronavirus; that we should all "make nice" (so to speak) and be kind to one another.  But shouldn't that be the case at all times?  Unfortunately, when it comes to Trump, we cannot simply forget about his transgressions just because we are living on a planet in peril. If the 2020 presidential election was tomorrow, or next week, perhaps my tone might be focused more on encouraging everyone to vote for the person who is the presumptive Democratic nominee, Joe Biden.  But the election isn't for another 224 days (as this column is published).  That's more than seven months from now.  Meanwhile, Trump and his narcissism and incompetence can literally bury our country, our economy, and most tragically, millions of Americans. Therefore, we need to join together - Democrats, Independents, AND Republicans - to force Trump to resign for the betterment of society.  Should that effort not be successful, I call upon the Trump Cabinet - from Vice President Mike Pence on down - to invoke The 25th Amendment, or for the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, our Congress, to reconvene, electronically if necessary, and for the House to impeach Trump again on new charges (he was already impeached on December 18th, 2019), but this time for the Senate to convict him and remove him from office.  Donald Trump can no longer be legally and constitutionally permitted to impose his mentally warped and irrational thinking on the lives of the American people.

     Being "politically correct" has been a phrase I have supported since it first became part of the American lexicon.  After all, I was taught by my parents as a young child to never insult, offend or be mean to other people.  But it wasn't for some 30 years after I was born that the "politically correct" movement was launched in the 1987 book The Closing of the American Mind written by Allan Bloom.  However, it is Richard Bernstein who is credited with popularizing the term "politically correct," following a 1990 article he wrote in The New York Times.  By definition - according to Collins English Dictionary - "politically correct" means to be "extremely careful not to offend or upset any group of people in society who have had a disadvantage, or who have been treated differently because of their sex, race, or disability."  The Merriam-Webster Dictionary adds that to be "politically correct" is to "conform to a belief that language and practices, which could offend political sensibilities should be eliminated."  But once Donald Trump became a Republican presidential candidate in 2015, the GOP nominee in 2016, and subsequently President of the United States in 2017, he single-handedly gave carte blanche permission to everyone that it's okay to toss out the window and throw in to the trash anything that is even remotely connected to being "politically correct."

     In my Facebook post after Trump flew off the handle and berated NBC's Peter Alexander on March 20th, the words "scumbucket" and "slimeball" were the tamest ways to describe Trump's actions.  I further wrote on Facebook, "For Trump to attack Peter Alexander in such a malicious manner is detestable and repugnant. Trump should not be President of the United States.  He is mentally and morally unfit, and he is an embarrassment to our country.  Any American who thinks what Trump did to Peter Alexander was right needs to examine and evaluate themselves because what Trump did was beyond vicious and vulgar, contemptible and reprehensible, and Congress must take action TODAY.  Trump is a no good son-of-a-bitch in plain stinkin' English."  Oh I know I went a bit over the top with the "son-of-a-bitch" line, but hey, award-winning television and motion picture actor, director and producer Rob Reiner tweeted on Saturday, March 14th, 2020, "Don't think it can be stated often enough: The President of the United States is a fucking Liar."  Anytime I can be included in the same good company with Rob Reiner...I'll take it.

     It wasn't the first time, but most recently I predicted in my column on December 26th, 2019 that "I am convinced that Trump will someday suffer a mental meltdown live on television as he becomes more and more out of control."  Trump's brutal behavior towards Peter Alexander is just the tip of the iceberg.  Believe me, there's more to come.

     And that's The Controversy for today.

     I'm Gary B. Duglin.

     "We'll talk again."

The Controversy is a publication of GBD Productions.  Founder and Editor-In-Chief of The Controversy is Gary B. Duglin.

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Photo credits:

1 - NBC News Screenshot (Peter Alexander of NBC News and Donald Trump)

2 - CNN Screen shots (Former Vice President Joe Biden and Donald Trump)

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