– Is it that the systemic, all out false propaganda and autocratic disinformation blitz, the same kind which fueled the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany (and still exists today in totalitarian regimes like Russia, China & North Korea) has led to an unprecedented level of cognitive dissonance, ignorance and stupidity in this country?

– Is it his disastrous failure of leadership during the initial stages of the global COVID-19 / coronavirus pandemic, when he blatantly lied to the country by claiming that everything was under control, that he had “shut it down” and that we would not have an outbreak here in the United States. NOTE: his incompetence, indecisiveness and bungling ineptitude were on full display when tried to reassure a frightened nation, trying awkwardly to allay fears that his administration was woefully unprepared to combat the pandemic – his ineffectual and confusing address was rife with inaccuracies, misstatements and errors, which then led to a panic on Wall Street as global markets went into free-fall and the stock market crashed to its lowest point in over 30 years. 

– Is it that T-rump, after initially dismissing the significant impact of COVID-19 as a liberal conspiracy and hoax (due to his monumental level of stupidity) in the first few days of the pandemic, the ‘Orange Ignoramus’, after predicting that the virus would “disappear like a miracle”, endured withering criticism and condemnation from across the world – finally (in a move that was much too late in coming) deciding to declare a national emergency over the coronavirus pandemic. Incredibly, T-rump selfishly proclaimed “I don’t take responsibility at all” for the failures of his administration during the initial stages of the outbreak.

– Is it that he eliminated the US pandemic response team in 2018, insuring that the nation would be insufficiently prepared for the COVID-19 virus when it manifested itself in the United States? NOTE: When asked about the White House eliminating the pandemic response team, his unbelievable answer was “I don’t know anything about that.” T-rump’s 2021 budget proposals included reducing CDC (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention) funding by 16% in addition to slashing funding for global health programs by $3 billion. By not instituting comprehensive coronavirus testing from the beginning, the US has ensured that cases exist all across the country as the virus continues to spread rapidly. 

– Is it that was officially impeached for Abuse of Power and Obstruction of Congress by the U.S House of Representatives for attempting to leverage a foreign government to investigate and undermine a domestic political rival? NOTE: the country is Ukraine; he withheld $400 million in critical military aid to an ally who is fighting against Russia – this illegal conduct is a clear subversion of the US Constitution. 

– Is it that he had a standing blanket order prohibiting key figures in the executive branch from testifying in the impeachment trial? NOTE: If he was truly innocent, then having witnesses testify would not be an issue.

– Is it that the pusillanimous Republicans in the Senate (with the lone exception being Mitt Romney), after steadfastly refusing to allow witnesses or documents in the trial, voted in lockstep to acquit the Orange Fuhrer? 

– Is it that, according to Trump’s former National Security Advisor John Bolton, Trump pleaded with communist China’s leader, Xi Jinping, to help ensure that he would win re-election in 2020? Or that Trump told Xi that he approved of China building concentration camps in Xinjiang? Or that Trump, bitter about the news coverage he was receiving, railed against journalists and said “these people should be executed?”

– Is it that the T-rump administration, which is rife with chaos and radiates insecurity, is uniquely dysfunctional because he surrounds himself with sycophants and close relatives? NOTE: T-rump’s daughter and son-in-law were given important high level advisory positions in the White House.

– Is it that his presidency has seen the most turnover in appointed positions in history? NOTE: people either quitting in disgust or being fired, justly or  not by T-Rump, who claimed to “only hire the best people”.

– Is it that instead of making America great again, his hateful, divisive leadership and opprobrious behavior have only served to “Make America Hate Again”?

– Is it the identification with radical right-wing extremists, who are defined mainly by their hatred, racism, xenophobia and homophobia?

– Is it that the nation’s military leaders are extremely worried that the Commander-in-Chief  is ‘dangerously uninformed and erratic’, and that his impulsive, sporadic and contradictory decisions on a range of issues that, including his divisive rhetoric and politicization of the military, undermines national security, military discipline and order? 

– Is it that he avoided serving his country during the Vietnam War after he received a questionable deferment for military service for bone spurs (Spurious to the Bone, indeed), yet publicly insulted and demeaned the heroic service of U.S. Senator John McCain?

– Is it that this pusillanimous draft dodger told his military leaders that they were “a bunch of dopes and babies” and also said “I wouldn’t go to war with you people”?

-Is that he withdrew the US from the Paris Agreement (agreement within the United Nations on climate change)? NOTE: only two nations in the world are not part of the agreement – the US and Syria.

– Is it that he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin and his operatives about Russia’s role in influencing the 2016 Presidential election as opposed to believing all of his own national security services (to include the CIA, FBI and NSA), who all agree that Russia definitely interfered in the election? NOTE: T-rump’s willingness to allow foreign powers to subvert our free election process is corruption, malfeasance and incompetence of the most serious kind.

– Is it his virulent and unpredictable rhetoric that has given rise to white nationalism and hate groups across the country, which leads to threats, intimidation and ultimately violence in America? NOTE: T-rump supporters who stay silent in the face of this irresponsible and reckless behavior are complicit along with him.

– Is it his constant attacks on the free press, describing the media as “the enemy of the people”? NOTE: T-rump and his administration’s constant undermining of the people’s right to freedom of speech, freedom of expression and freedom of the press are a direct threat to the American Constitution. Every time he is called out for lying, he immediately says that it is the “Fake News Media” that is responsible for the lies that are being disseminated.

– Is it his cruel and inhumane policy of separating children from their parents at the border and detaining them in miserable conditions?

– Is it that he falsely claimed that thousands of Central American refugees from political persecution (many of them women and children) were coming to the United States in a ‘dangerous caravan’ and were ‘heavily armed’?

– Is it that numerous women have accused T-Rump of sexual assault and misconduct, and that he has bragged at length about grabbing women by the genitals without their consent?

– Is it that during the 2016 Presidential campaign he instructed his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen (a convicted felon who is now incarcerated) to pay $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels as hush money for the illicit affair that T-Rump had with her?

– Is it that the White House has barred certain media outlets from the daily White House briefing, while continuing to allow Fox News and Breitbart news to attend? 

– Is it that he hired former lobbyists to internal staff positions in agencies that they had previously lobbied against (in clear violation of ethical rules)?

– Is it that EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt (a T-rump appointee) claimed that 50,000 jobs had been added to the coal mining industry, when if fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the actual number of jobs was closer to 1,400?

– Is it that T-rump selected a recognized white nationalist, Steve Johnson, as a party delegate in California for the upcoming presidential primary? NOTE: Johnson said, “I can be a white nationalist and a strong supporter of Donald Trump and be a good example to everybody”.

– Is it that he awarded noted racist, xenophobe, homophobe and serial liar Rush Limbaugh the Medal of Freedom (the highest honor a civilian can receive in the United States)?

– Is it that he misappropriated money from his own charity fund for the 2016 Presidential campaign? (NOTE: He was subsequently ordered to pay $2 million back).

– Is it that he was forced by the courts to pay $25 million (or be convicted) to settle his Trump University fraud lawsuits? 

– Is it that he presided over the longest government shutdown in US history?

– Is it that his tax plan benefits the wealthiest people (including himself) and large corporations? NOTE: 83% of the tax cut goes to the top 1% of the privileged people in the country.

– Is it that his proposed 2020 budget contains $800 BILLION in cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, in addition to eliminating protections for pre-existing conditions?

– Is it that he vowed to dismantle the Johnson Amendment (a law which restricts churches and other religious institutions from taking a public political stance while retaining tax exempt status)?

– Is it that his unpredictable, destabilizing leadership has undermined trust in the United States around the world as he continues to dismember multilateral organizations that took decades to build? 

– Is it that T-Rump’s foreign policy decisions and relationships are driven by his personal business interests (expressly for his own personal and family gain)? NOTE: T-Rump and his family continue to violate the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution. 

– Is that he ordered the assassination of an Iranian general without consulting Congress or our allies, tempting war and creating a worldwide security crisis that put American lives, as well as the lives of other country’s citizens at risk? NOTE: World leaders across the globe condemned this reckless act as a dangerous escalation of tensions that risked spilling over into a larger conflict.

– Is it that T-Trump, in a related move, threatened to destroy cultural sites in Iran, which, if carried out, is a breach of international law and possibly a war crime? 

– Is it because T-rump shared highly classified information with a Russian government official, a disclosure that jeopardized the identity of a source who had infiltrated the Islamic State? NOTE: One government official said that T-rump, “revealed more information to the Russian Ambassador than we have to our own allies”. 

– Is it that he continually made unsubstantiated claims about voter fraud in the 2016 Presidential election as a reason that he lost the popular vote (by a total of more than 3 million people, which is the largest margin in history)? NOTE: These claims have been widely discredited.

– Is it that T-rump has proposed the elimination of federal funding in the areas of arts and humanities, libraries and museums and public television and radio?

– Is it that he referred to the system of checks and balances between the legislative and executive branches of government as ‘archaic’ – and then claimed “maybe at some point we’ll have to take those rules on, for the good of the nation, things are going to have to be different”?

– Is it that this ‘stable genius’ has said the following things (confirming to everyone except those with the dimmest of wits that he is without doubt the most unintelligent buffoon to ever occupy the office of the President) – he has stated that wind turbines cause cancer; he told India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi that it is a good thing that India does not have a border with China; he suggested that we bomb hurricanes to try and stop them; he said that global warming is a Chinese hoax; at a ceremony in Pearl Harbor, he asked exactly what had happened there to justify the commemoration; he said that the moon is part of Mars; he said that the army took over the airports…during the Revolutionary War!

If you have answered “YES” to any of the preceding questions and are still a T-RUMP supporter, you are officially a monument to universal ignorance & stupidity. You can be readily identified as one of the ‘Sheeple’ / the ‘Walking Dead’ / the ‘Infected’ in society by your despicable MAGA apparel in the ‘Age of Ignorance’. Your O V I N E (OBLIVIOUS / VACUOUS / IGNORANT / NESCIENT / EXECRABLE)  characteristics have condemned you to wearing a modern day ‘Scarlet Letter’ of perpetual shame that reflects your status as a genuine ignoramus. You are badly misinformed, uneducated, ignorant or willfully ignorant – in most cases, it is a dangerous and toxic combination of them all. Your limitations of character and intellect are on display for the world to see; you exist in the deplorable cesspool of stupidity along with the hordes of mindless swine who have abandoned their principles, their ethics, their morals – lying, deception and dishonesty define you. As your ineptitude is vast and your incompetence profound, you have achieved permanent status as ‘TERMINALLY IGNORANT’. 

Observations

Although we live in a time where there is significant ideological polarization in America, a MAJORITY of its citizens: want gun regulation (we must put an end to gun violence across the nation); universal health care, a debt-free college education (more affordable student loans); equal rights for women across the board; believe in climate change. Conversely, T-rump and his supporters (a majority of whom are so dense that they will repeatedly vote against there own best interests) want to lower taxes for the top 1% (tax breaks for the wealthiest people – like himself), increase taxes on the middle class, weaken existing environmental protections, cut funding for education, muzzle the free press and suppress scientific research (science deniers who believe that climate change is a hoax). The schism is essentially a polemic between reasonable, discerning people with growth mindsets (HUMANITAS UNIVERSUS) who have the ability to think critically versus naive, irrational people with closed mindsets (TENEBRA) who are Anti-truth, anti-education, anti-intellectual and anti-progress. For these fact free O V I N E somnabulists (sheep walkers) who have their heads in the sand, thinking is definitely a burden. 

Issues

Equal Rights for All – Under the Constitution of the United States of America, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) has not been passed (equal rights for women are not guaranteed). The need for fair consideration for women in the court system, where there has been no consistent judicial standard in cases of domestic violence (1 out of every 4 women is a victim of domestic violence), rape (1 out of every 5 women either has been or will be raped), sexual slavery and forced prostitution. The poverty statistics (1 out of every 3 women in the United States either lives in poverty or on the brink of poverty) are alarming as well. According to the U.S. Census report, there is still a definitive wage gap, as the median full time salary for women is 77% of that for men. Equal Rights for All…if not now, when? 

Quality of Life for All (wealth inequality and distribution) – Here are some alarming statistics that reflect that wealth inequality and distribution in the United States today: 1% of America has 40% of the nations wealth; the top 1% owns 50% (half) of the country’s stocks, bonds and mutual funds, while the bottom 50% of Americans own only one half of 1% of these same stocks, bonds and mutual funds; the bottom 80% has ONLY 7% of the nation’s wealth (which means 8 out of 10 people). America’s wealth gap is now wider than ever.

Education – One of the first and most important areas of reform is a fundamental change in the system of education here in America. The crisis in education can be seen in the fact that there were so many people ignorant enough, or who were deceived into voting for a vacuous, unprincipled demagogue for the highest office in the land. Declining educational standards have been in evidence for decades, as the United States has continued to fall behind the rest of the developed countries of the world. In a survey regarding our K – 12 STEM (science, technology, engineering & mathematics) school system, 70% of Americans rated our system of education as ‘average’ or ‘below average’. The most recent PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) data has American students ranked 24th in science and 38th in mathematics (out of 70 plus countries). Average to below average indeed. The goal for the future would be to establish a higher level of pedagogy through advanced, comprehensive programs and intuitive teaching methods, with an emphasis on educating the whole person, as opposed to training people to pass standardized tests. Teaching should be considered a ‘high status’ profession, and the teachers should be paid proper wages.

Health Care (universal) – Most countries in the developed world see health care as a basic human right – but not so in America. Although the United States is one of the world’s wealthiest nations, the inequalities in access to health care (largely because of the disparities in income – almost half of health care spending is used to treat just 5% of the population) pose difficult challenges for this country in the quest for universal health care.

Climate Change & Awareness – That climate change is a critical issue to the continued survival of all species on the planet is clear to many people, with the notable exception of the science deniers (people who willfully ignore scientific evidence, who still do not believe their own eyes and ears when given proof to the contrary). There is a 90% consensus among scientists across the world which indicates that climate change is both man made and an existential threat.  T-rump has called climate change a “hoax”, “fictional” and a “con job”. T-rump’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accords (an agreement among 195 nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally) is an act of unprecedented ignorance, as is the weakening / destruction of environmental protections under his leadership – all of which push us ever closer to catastrophe. Global warming studies indicate that the planet is heating up significantly faster than expected, which should be extremely troubling to all. The warming oceans and seas will rise more rapidly and hold less oxygen, which means that marine ecosystems will be devastated. There is a desperate need to focus on cleaner, renewable energy systems (wind and solar power) and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels use. T-rump and the Republicans claim that clean energy policies will destroy the economy – in point of fact, energy efficiency is the fastest growing job sector in the energy industry.

 Weapon (Gun) Control & Regulation – We have a rampant gun problem in the United States. Mass killings have become commonplace across the nation, and the government continues to stand by and watch as the death toll mounts. In terms of school shootings, the President and Congressional leadership say that they are willing to do everything in their power to make sure that these horrific massacres never happen again – as long as it does not interfere with the NRA blood money and its policies.  T-rump and the GOP simply will not look at gun regulation in a meaningful way, which is clear evidence that these people simply do not care. T-rump lifted the ban (imposed by President Obama) on allowing the mentally ill have access to guns, and the GOP refuses to limit gun purchases for people on terrorist watch lists. The gun homicide rate in America is more than 25 times the average of other high income countries – on an average day, 96 Americans are killed with guns.  Americans make up about 4.4 % of the global population but own 42 % of the world’s guns. British journalist Dan Hodges, referencing the 2012 attack that killed twenty young students at an elementary school in Connecticut,  commented “In retrospect, Sandy Hook marked the end of the US gun control debate. Once America decided killing children was bearable, it was over.” In just about every other developed country, you must have a license, registration, a reason for having the gun, safety training and safety storage – in the United States, you do not need any of these things. The truth is that the majority of the population want sensible gun laws –  a ban on assault style weapons and armor piercing bullets, a ban on modifications to convert weapons to semi or fully automatic, background checks for gun shows and private sales, laws to prevent the mentally ill from buying guns, and a federal database that will track gun sales and waiting periods. For reasonable, educated people, preventing mass shootings with assault weapons would seem to be a position everyone ought to be willing to take.

Military / National Security & Defense – The Military Industrial Complex is thriving under T-rump and the Republican Party. The U.S. military budget exceeds the next SEVEN highest defense spending nations combined (China, Saudi Arabia, Russia, United Kingdom, India, France and Japan), as inflated military spending continues to spiral out of control.  There are many who believe that our nation has misplaced national priorities, as we cannot ensure proper health care or a good education for our citizens – how can we continue to justify the extraordinary levels of defense spending when funds could be used to help rectify more immediate problems that face us within our own borders?  Ironically, T-rump has rarely visited our troops overseas – this pusillanimous behavior underscores the true nature of the “Bone Spur” President (who received 5 draft deferments and never served in the military) – the B.S. President indeed.

Elections & Campaign Finance Reform – Immediate action is urgently needed on the issue of campaign finance reform – to establish ceilings for campaign contributions that include no corporate or foreign contributions. Curbing the influence of special interest groups (political action committees, lobbying and dark money) and eradicating voter suppression policies, super delegates, closed primaries and gerrymandering would help put democracy back on its intended course. Additionally, term limits for those that serve in public office would boost efforts in eliminating the partisan cronyism that has crippled the system.

Electoral College – Among the first steps that should be taken for serious governmental reform would be to abolish the Electoral College (T-rump lost the popular vote by the largest margin in history). The Electoral College is an anachronistic mechanism, originally designed to protect the influence of slave owners, by which the Presidency of the United States is still decided. When slavery was legal in the United States, black men and women in the Southern states were counted as three-fifths of a white person, which gave the slave states more electoral votes and also reduced the tax burden -this is the ‘Three-Fifths Compromise’. The truth is that most reasonable Americans would prefer to elect the President by direct popular vote (the same way that we elect officials for every other public office) by an overwhelming majority.  

Justice System (incarceration & prisons) –  The United States constitutes 4.4% of the world’s population, but 25% of the world’s prison population (the largest incarcerated population in the world). The justice system in America has served to hold captive and disenfranchise as many minority citizens as possible, as their mass incarceration is the new form of controlled slavery (convicted criminals cannot vote in many states, and their incarceration allows for cheap labor). This especially affects minority and low income communities. Some harsh realities: far too many people are wrongly convicted and imprisoned; sentencing is inconsistent for women and minorities; and the system is punitive instead of rehabilitative.

Foreign Affairs & Relations – The Russia question could not be more serious: to collude with a hostile, authoritarian foreign power in subverting a free election is an assault on democracy itself. High ranking members of the American intelligence community, from the CIA, FBI and NSA concluded that Russian operatives working for President Vladimir Putin engaged in a covert campaign to influence the 2016 US Presidential election in favor of T-rump. At a summit meeting in Helsinki with Russian President, T-rump severely undermined U.S. intelligence agencies by siding with Putin – his unprecedented refusal to believe the information he received from the highest levels of U.S. intelligence, while believing the information he received from an adversarial foreign autocrat was both stunning and deeply troubling. The Russians undoubtedly played a significant role in attempting to destabilize our democracy – as of this moment, the Russian threat remains unchecked. T-rump’s irresponsible approach to foreign policy has done immense, long term damage to our alliances and relationships (that have been critical for stability and peace since the time of World War II) that may take years to repair.

The Future

National & International Service – One possible solution to many of our social problems might be the introduction of mandatory National or International Service, be it in the area of civil, military, medical, infrastructural, educational, agricultural, forestry or park services (for a period of 18 to 24 months, after graduation from high school) where an individual would have the opportunity to broaden their horizons with a series of enriching, life changing experiences by interacting with people from all different walks of life, working side by side in pursuit of common  goals. STAND UP FOR TRUTH – be a voice of thought, be a voice of progress, be a voice of reason, be a voice of peace. THINK, ENLIGHTEN, TRANSCEND, EVOLVE!

I spent much of my childhood traveling extensively, growing up in different towns, cities, countries and continents across the world. I have had the good fortune to have interacted with and befriended many extraordinary people of various backgrounds, nationalities, cultures, beliefs and worldviews. Because of this, I believe that my country is the entire world, and I believe that there is hope for the future of the planet – and those who have hope have everything.?” Jinping