President Donald Trump Ignores

By George Smith — 12/19/2020

1)  The sharply rising numbers of pandemic cases and deaths.

2) The disconcerting news about Russian hackers burrowing into various agencies’ computer systems and undermining the security of the nation.

3) The more than 50 courtroom losses on his claims that fraud cost him his re-election bid.

4) The outcry on his pardons and commutations of convictions and sentences of key allies, all of whom were convicted or pled guilty to federal crimes.

5) The directives of his own Center for Disease Control for minimizing  COVID 19 effects and holding events that resulted in virus outbreaks.

6) Traditional preparations that signify the peaceful transfer of power in our democracy.

7) Shows no emotion in regard to the federal government acknowledging it still has more than 500 undocumented children separated from parents and has no idea where the parents are or how to reconnect family members.

8 ) How inappropriate his last-days-in-office actions are in regard to firing certain officials and replacing them with loyalists… to what end?

9) How history will view his erratic and toxic presidency, basking instead in the crazed loyalty of his base, a hodgepodge of white supremacy, neo-Nazi, militia and short-sighted fervent evangelistic conservative groups.

10) The basic reality of his situation: At noon, Jen. 20, 2020, Trump is no longer president. That is a reality he cannot seem to grasp.

See the pattern? If a situation does not fit into his picture-perfect mental image of what he WANTS his world to be, the “truth” does not exist.

Trump, and many of his Trumpuppets, are suffering from “delusional disorder”. It is a type of serious mental illness — called a “psychosis”— in which a person cannot tell what is real from what is imagined. The main feature of this disorder is the presence of delusions, which are unshakable beliefs in something untrue.

This is Donald Trump, the 2020 version. Those that pledge allegiance to him, to his delusional view of the state of the union and the world, are complicit in the actions which undermine the safety and security of this nation and the health of its citizens.

Step back. Take a breath. Look to the future. And kick the hurtful delusions of this president to the gutter where they belong.

It’s a new beginning. Embrace it and smile about future possibilities to return to the light provided by a free, empathetic and loving nation that promises freedom and opportunities for all who reside here.

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By George Smith — 12/18/2020

Are you a member of or have your ever been a member of a cult?

Cult — a misplaced or excessive “admiration for a particular person or thing.

A typical cult has a charismatic, unaccountable leader, persuades by coercion and exploits its members, economically, sexually or in some other way.

The word cult can be broadly defined as “formal religious veneration,” “a system of religious beliefs and its body of adherents,” “a religion regarded as ‘unorthodox or spurious,'” “great devotion to a person or idea” as well as “persons united by devotion or allegiance to an artistic or intellectual movement or figure.”

Think about it: These general definitions could potentially include everything from Barbie doll collectors to so-called “Trekkies” and die-hard Elvis fans.

According to a book (“Cult Formation”) by psychologist Dr. Robert Lifton on the “glue” that holds cult together, three factors must be present in destructive cults:

1. A charismatic leader, who increasingly becomes an object of worship as the general principles that may have originally sustained the group lose power. That is a living leader, who has no meaningful accountability and becomes the single most defining element of the group and its source of power and authority.

2. A process [of indoctrination or education is in use that can be seen as] coercive persuasion or thought reform [commonly called “brainwashing”]. The culmination of this process can be seen by members of the group often doing things that are not in their own best interest, but consistently in the best interest of the group and its leader.

3. Economic, sexual, and other exploitation of group members by the leader and the ruling coterie.

Liftin states, “The destructiveness of groups called cults varies by degree, from labour violations, child abuse, medical neglect to, in some extreme and isolated situations, calls for violence or mass suicide.

“Some groups that were once seen as “cults” have historically evolved to become generally regarded as religions. Power devolved from a single leader to a broader church government and such groups ceased to be seen as simply personality-driven and defined by a single individual.”

Tipton gives 10 warning signs of a potentially unsafe group or leader.

• Absolute authoritarianism without meaningful accountability.

• No tolerance for questions or critical inquiry.

• No meaningful financial disclosure regarding budget or expenses, such as an independently audited financial statement.

• Unreasonable fear about the outside world, such as impending catastrophe, evil conspiracies and persecutions.

• There is no legitimate reason to leave, former followers are always wrong in leaving, negative or even evil.

• Former members often relate the same stories of abuse and reflect a similar pattern of grievances.

• There are records, books, news articles, or broadcast reports that document the abuses of the group/leader.

• Followers feel they can never be “good enough”.

• The group/leader is always right.

• The group/leader is the exclusive means of knowing “truth” or receiving validation, no other process of discovery is really acceptable or credible.

Now, take a deep breath. Are you or someone you know a member of a cult?

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By George Smith — 12/16/2020

 There-is-no-“bottom”-for-bottom-feeders headline of the day:

“Tucker Carlson Calls Jill Biden ‘Illiterate,’ ‘Not Very Bright’ and Says She ‘Can’t Think Clearly’ as He Continues Mocking Her”

Dr. Jill Biden has a doctorate in education. Carlson has a bachelor’s in advanced pencil sharpening or history, I forget which. He was rejected for employment by the CIA and moved into print journalism. He used to work fur MSNBC but couldn’t cut it.

A hardline Trumpuppet, he gets pleasure out of verbally gutting those he thinks are elitists snobs. This from a man who father was richly-rich and owned homes in La Jolla, California., Nevada and owned several islands. One of Carlson’s schools was a prep school in Switzerland. The country.

Rave on, B.A. Boy! Go ahead and pick on the FLOTUS-in-waiting, who has four degrees, a bachelor’s, two master’s AND a doctorate. While she is putting her stamp on the White House role and history, you’ll still be a petulant brat with a degree from a college few people have ever heard of, located in a state few people have ever visited.

Boolah! Boolah!

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