Four Legs Good

Two Legs Bad

“…exposure to true information does not matter anymore. A person who is demoralized is unable to assess true information. The facts tell him nothing, even if I shower him with information, with authentic proof, with documents and pictures. …he will refuse to believe it… That's the tragedy of the situation of demoralization.”

Yuri Bezmenov [1983]

Trump well may be the useful fool for global entrepreneurs and authoritarian regimes of every stripe.  He does not care to whose benefit his self-serving actions accrue so long as he retains his liberty and highly leveraged fortune.

Trump is in full Shock Jock mode.  His daily nominations of Project 2025 supporters to cabinet and administrative leadership roles in his second administration is a dangerous distraction from whatever conversations he is having with the heads of foreign governments before he formally resumes the high office he never forfeited.  By refusing to sign the ethics agreement required under Presidential Transition Act, he is compromising a smooth transition of governance ---- while keeping his options as a private citizen with global business interests open.

Trump very likely is breaking numerous laws in this moment.  Where are the journalists needed to discover and report the actions he wishes to hide?  Historians will need the facts.  Even if Trump again escapes personal penalty by taking retroactive cover under the immunities he will enjoy during his second term.

Robert Hubbell provides this beautifully phrased insight—"The media again fails to comprehend the moment, much less rise to it.  It is like reporting the sinking of the Titanic by criticizing the viscosity of the oil in Engine Number Two.  While the Titanic’s engineers might have used underweight oil, ignoring the iceberg’s role in the Titanic’s sinking is unforgivable.”  

A disturbing percentage of our citizenry will entertain opinions to the contrary to authenticated fact. Trump topped a decade of disinformation and lies and “alternate truths” with public statements in 2024 that in any other time or context would be dismissed as “ravings” of a seriously unbalanced mind.  “Why, oh why, were they not?” some wonder, while clutching their pearls. 

Susan Garrity Benton provides a summary of Yuri Alexandrovich Bezmeno’s claim in 1984 (drum roll from fans of Orwell) that Russia had a long-term goal of ideologically subverting the U.S.—a 22-to-25-year process called “a great brainwashing”.  Along that line, Trump could be the inflection point—chaos culminating in crisis leading to “normalization” of a new order.  It is easy and comfortable to dismiss this thought as just another conspiracy theory.  Before we do so, let us wonder--What internal information caused the CIA to provide funding for the 1954 animated drama film Animal Farm?  And what changes did the agency require to the original?

And, while we are in the paranoia mode, let us also consider who Trump will nominate, and our dandy representatives will approve, to kneecap any such warnings in the future. 

Recess Is Over

Google advises that the expression “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me,” has its origins in the 1600s. The idea is found in a book written by Anthony Weldon in 1651 titled The Court and Character of King James.

Add to that warning—"Fool me three times, shame on both of us.”

Google AI suggests that “Once someone has shown themselves untrustworthy, you should not be surprised when they betray you again.”

In Election 2024 we betrayed ourselves.  The path forward is clear.  Resistance to demoralization—whether native or orchestrated—is imperative.  Who can we trust?

The critical thinkers found on Substack and Bluesky spring to mind.