Sunday, April 14, 2019

The Cost Of Ignorance


Donald Trump has been throwing the word "treason" around these days -- alot. Dana Milbank writes:

On Wednesday, Trump tweeted that the [Mueller] probe was a “Treasonous Hoax” and that “what the Democrats are doing with the Border is TREASONOUS.” That same day, boarding Marine One, he reaffirmed that what Democrats and Justice Department officials did in the Mueller probe “was treason.”
On April 6, he declared it’s “about time the perpetrators . . . start defending their dishonest and treasonous acts.” He added an injunction associated with the Holocaust: “Never Forget!”
In the past few weeks, Trump informed the NATO secretary general that the investigation of him could be “treasonous” and let Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu know that “a lot of people out there” have done “treasonous things against our country.” Trump told Fox News’s Sean Hannity: “It was really treason. . . . We can never allow these treasonous acts to happen to another president. . . . you are talking about major, major treason.” 

And he has accused alot of people of being traitors:

He began by accusing the likes of Bowe Bergdahl, Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning, then moved on to include the executives of Univision and Macy’s, Republicans who didn’t support him, Democratic lawmakers who didn’t applaud him, the failing New York Times, the media generally, people in his administration who leak, and Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, John Podesta, Eric Holder, Loretta E. Lynch, Huma Abedin, James B. Comey, James R. Clapper Jr., Rod J. Rosenstein, Robert S. Mueller III, Andrew McCabe, Lisa Page and Peter Strzok.

The Constitution says that treason "shall consist only in levying war against” the United States “or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort,” Obviously, Trump's definition of treason is Henry VIII's definition -- anything that offends the sovereign.

It is painfully apparent that Trump has never read the Constitution "because he has vowed to protect all 12 articles of the Constitution, even though it has only seven."

As Doug Ford continues to tell Ontarians that the price of education is too high, they only need look next door to see the cost of Ignorance.


Image: induced.info

8 comments:

Lorne said...

"As Doug Ford continues to tell Ontarians that the price of education is too high, they only need look next door to see the cost of Ignorance."

Well-said, Owen. Your final statement sums up the distemper of our times.

Owen Gray said...

These days, Lorne, some people wear their ignorance as a badge, saying -- with people like Trump -- "Look where it got me!"

The Mound of Sound said...


There's been an obvious decline in Trump's mental faculties in recent months. One particularly unhelpful consequence has been the apparent ease with which Stephen Miller can turn Trump ever more radical.

If the decline Trump exhibits is real he may not be able to see a second term. That could clear the path for a malignancy like Pence to step in.

Owen Gray said...

My impression, Mound, is that Pence has been willing to step in since Day 1.

Anonymous said...

Pence is dangerous - he likes the xenophobic Orban of Hungary, the Poles and Slovakia. His recent lecture to the EU, particularly Germany, on not using the new Russian NordStream natural gas pipeline fell on unreceptive ears. Regarded as some hick from Indiana who is anti-abortion, anti-brown, anti-union and deigns to lecture people who know more than he ever will, Pence looks set to p*ss off foreigners just as well as Trump does and has.

BM

Owen Gray said...

It's hard to make or maintain alliances, BM, when you believe you're holier than your allies.

e.a.f. said...

As they teach you in sales, keep repeating it. That is why we have commercials. William Goldman wrote in his book, you had to repeat things in a script 3 times so the audience got it. Trump knows all of that and of course his good friend goebels.....its worked before and its working now.

Whether trump is mentally ill or not, he'll be re elected again because the Democrats with the large field will eat their young and of course there is the hater, Bernie Saunders. In a way Saunders is almost as bad as Trump. Neither of them are good for democracy.

Owen Gray said...

Time will tell, eaf. Any message bears repeating -- particularly a message in defence of the truth.