We Are Being Played

Like a violin – hear it screech!

The headlines are like dust in the wind. Obscuring our vision. Hogging our attention. We are addicted to the latest outrage. Troops in our cities. Trump welcomes a war criminal. Our neighbors are rounded up like cattle. Healthcare funding slashed. Tax breaks for the morbidly rich. NATO is bad, wait…NATO is good. HIGH tariffs, low tariffs, medium tariffs, WTF? Trump is not a serious adult. He is a dangerous moron. He is an endless stream of incomprehensible foolish obscenities.

But as horrible and despicable as all this is, it is minor in comparison.

Try this: Google something like: “Our three greatest threats are”. Below is the “AI Overview” response.

Identifying the three greatest threats is complex and depends on the specific context and perspective (e.g., individual, national, or global)

Based on recent reports and analyses, here are some widely acknowledged significant threats:

Climate Change and Environmental Degradation: This encompasses extreme weather events, rising sea levels, biodiversity loss, pollution, and resource scarcity, posing existential risks to the planet and humanity.
Geopolitical Instability and Conflict: This includes interstate wars, the erosion of international cooperation, and potential large-scale conflicts with devastating consequences, like nuclear war.
Technological Risks: The rapid development and adoption of technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and biotechnology raise concerns about misuse, unforeseen consequences, and their potential to exacerbate inequalities and societal vulnerabilities.

“It is important to note that these threats are interconnected and often exacerbate one another. For example, climate change can fuel geopolitical instability through resource scarcity and migration, while technological advancements can be misused in conflicts or contribute to environmental problems.”

Or simply put:
* Climate change is an existential risk to the planet and humanity
* The erosion of international cooperation could lead to nuclear war
*AI could be a threat to society if not employed wisely

I think this is what an intelligent president should be thinking about most of the time he is awake. He could also be thinking about ways to be sure that the people who put him in office are healthier, better educated, have plenty of clean water and decent food. He could work towards solving the housing crisis. He could complete the expansion of Broadband Internet to the 6% of Americans who are deprived of it.

But Trump doesn’t. Think. Like a Normal Person.
He is Afraid. He is still trying to Prove that he is a genius.
He is terrified of his past being revealed. Russia. Putin.
Question: While meeting with European leaders and President Zelensky, why did Trump take a break and call Putin? For advice? For talking points? Marching orders?

Trump is making thousands of mistakes. He doesn’t have his eye on the ball. The Three Greatest Threats to America and the Planet are not within his scope of understanding.

Trump’s grandfather was banned from re-entering Germany. For failing to perform mandatory military service. A family tradition, apparently.

He might as well have been a 19th century tycoon sent here in a time machine. He doesn’t use computers. He doesn’t read. He watches TV and gets his ideas from FOX News. He is a clueless old man who is losing it. What could go wrong?

Here is an opinion piece (no paywall) from the NY Times titled:
”How Short Term Thinking is Destroying America”
”Mr. Trump is a 79-year-old strongman nostalgic for the past. His domination of the present is not permanent, but it is leading many Americans to live in the status quo he commands while ignoring where we are going. To overcome that reality, Democrats must mobilize people to believe in the future.”

We are being played like a violin every day by a guy who knows how to distract us. But he is failing in his most important task: preparing for our children’s future.

But that’s not what’s in the news.

Epstein Files – not going away.

The DOJ released a transcript of the interview of Ghislaine Maxwell by Asst Director Todd Blanche (formerly Trump’s personal attorney 🙂 It is hundreds of pages – much of which is redacted. Surprise!

Here’s a taste:
”Maxwell told Blanche that she may have met Trump at some point in 1990 because he had been friendly with her father. She said Trump “was always very cordial and very kind to me,” adding that she never witnessed him in any “inappropriate setting.”
“I actually never saw the President in any type of massage setting. I never witnessed the President in any inappropriate setting in any way. The President was never inappropriate with anybody. In the times that I was with him, he was a gentleman in all respects,” Maxwell said.

Trump and his flunkies have flipped the story on Epstein so many times that it seems like a blur. Watch this very short clip of a very defensive Trump:

Here is the Timeline: Trump administration’s words as critics press for Epstein records

My take? If I were in a Federal prison serving 20 years (at age 61) and my fate was in the hands of a guy like Trump, I might say exactly what they want to hear. After all, my boyfriend and fellow sex trafficker of minors was found dead in his prison cell…

The Dementia is real:

Donald J. Trump IS suffering from the decline we sometimes see in the elderly.
Read this article from the Guardian – one of the few elements of the media who will talk about Trump’s OBVIOUS decline. He can’t complete a sentence or a thought.
If you have the stomach for it, here is an example of someone who is just plain nuts and probably belongs in an institution:

Inflation is real:

The impact of the tariffs on consumer spending – on products and services is just beginning to be felt. The guy did not “lower prices on day one”. He is launching inflation like a slow moving rocket that can’t be stopped.

Of course, this week, we moved deeper into bubble territory as Powell wavered. Hang on, the ride will be wild.

“The Producer Price Index (PPI) for July surged to a three-year high, with services inflation playing a key role in the gains. A similar trend appeared in the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report…”

Concluding thoughts and a song to perk you up.

Diversity – good stuff, interesting, healthy, prevents inbreeding
Equity – a little fairness goes a long way!
Inclusion – a generally accepted concept by the founders of all major religions

Epstein – “The truth is out there” (on Bondi’s desk 🙂
Dementia – Every day, another example (“tilting at windmills!”)
Inflation – Tariffs and deporting essential workers are Trump’s suicide swords

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We Are Being Played