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GELFAND’S WORLD - What do you call it when a national leader attempts to imprison his political opponents simply for opposing him? Most of us call it fascism. So now Donald Trump is angrily calling for indictments of James Comey, Sen. Adam Schiff, and for the people who prosecuted him. His excuse? He was impeached twice and indicted five times, and he claims that it was all over nothing. Under the Anglo-American legal system, we can confidently say that it wasn’t over nothing because a jury of his peers found him guilty on several dozen counts. And by the way, he was indicted in multiple venues for a wide range of crimes – real crimes – for which he should have been held accountable.
But he is quite willing to see indictments of others over nothing. Let’s point out that this should be a tipping point for any sane Republicans still in existence. If you won’t defend the legal system, then what is left? Notice that a few Republicans defended freedom of speech during the Jimmy Kimmel affair but also notice that it really was only a few.
There is something else that is becoming increasingly noticeable. Trump’s speeches and late night internet posts are becoming increasingly shrill. His speech to the United Nations was an object lesson in the lack of diplomacy. The public demand that his enemies be indicted could be right out of the 1930s. He was always a braggart, but he is, more and more, coming to resemble somebody who is entirely lacking in what the doctors refer to as reality testing. The remark that solidifies that opinion about Trump is his statement at the UN that climate change is a con job. Even his strongest supporters in farm country recognize climate change, as do the insurance companies and the strong majority of scientists. To deny the existence of climate change in the year 2025 represents a dangerous lack of cognitive ability.
People who follow Trump are also pointing out that he is resorting to profanity more and more. It is suggested that this may represent evidence of developing dementia. It’s not that he swears – Harry Truman and Richard Nixon were famous for doing the same – it is the change in behavior and the fact that it represents decreasing self-control that is pertinent.
Addendum
I notice that the free use of the HOV lanes by electric vehicles is coming to an end. Interestingly, the television news had a shot of a phenomenon that many of us notice on the 110 going up to downtown from the harbor area: The toll lanes (also available to multi-occupant cars provided they pay for the transponder) are typically nearly empty, while the single occupant, non-toll lanes are slow and busy. So here is my suggestion. If we aren’t going to have free access to electric vehicles, how about scrapping the entire system. Let anybody use those lanes for free, and let’s see if traffic in the other lanes improves. It can’t help but do so.
(Bob Gelfand writes on science, culture, and politics for CityWatch. He can be reached at [email protected])
