I'm trying on a new Saturday feature: just jotting notes each week on the various idiocies of the guy in the Casa Blanca, then trying to highlight the most astonishing. That honor, this week, goes of course to his praise of George Washington for making sure to seize control of the airports during the rebellion against Great Britain, more than a century before Kitty Hawk. It's at the end, below.
* Donald Trump picks up on a months-old video that caught soccer star Megan Rapinoe saying that if the U.S. women's team won, she wouldn't visit "the fucking White House." Whether you agree or disagree with her views, can you imagine Barack Obama (or FDR or Dwight David Eisenhower, had technology permitted it in their times) responding to Boston pitcher Curt Schilling saying something negative about him? Most grownups have more self-control. Have their eyes somewhat on the ball. Meanwhile, Trump starts the spat (less insultingly than his comments on black athletes kneeling during the national anthem, maybe 'cause Megan's lighter complected), and pursues it. Predictably, it becomes a big public deal, adding to many fans' distaste for Donald, unifies the U.S. team, and probably brings some non-U.S. soccer fans to root for the U.S. team. If the team wins, Trump will look bad, 'cause the whole thing emphasizes that most athletic teams now don't feel that visiting the White House to shake hands with a somewhat obnoxious clown is any great honor. If the team loses, Trump will call out Rapinoe for not keeping focused on her task -- a concept that ain't his strong suit.
*At the G-20, where nations reassert their commitment (a weaker commitment than we might like, but at least something) Trump has to wriggle out of it -- and make childish comments on climate change ("The U.S. has the purest air and water it's ever had," and crediting himself for U.S. strengths) that show how little he even understands the concept.
* At the G-20, too, he cozies up to Vlad Putin, turning a question about election-meddling into a buddy-buddy in-joke between him and Putin, making light of the election insecurity that's begun to worry even most of his Republican pals.
* The U.S. Supreme Court (with a 5-4 extremely conservative majority) actually denies Trump's political effort to put a census question on the U.S. Census. Trump, who has insisted the question is necessary to enforce federal civil rights laws, makes a self-contradictory argument, while the court system learns that a Republican political hack (whom Trump's people had denied was involved) had initiated the whole damned effort to ask the question; and Trump, forgetting that he's argued that the June 30 deadline for starting to print census forms is a reason the Court should decide this fast, says, oh, well, we can delay that to October while we try to re-argue this with the Court. He hints at a delay in the census -- despite the fact that federal laws mandate it be done every ten years -- and appears ready to throw the whole thing into confusion by delaying training, printing, and other preparation. As always, doing a good job (on this supposedly non-political federal duty) isn't much of a consideration if little Donald isn't getting what he wants.
Miffed by the Supreme Court's decision tossing out the "citizenship question" proposed for the census, because the question was obviously for political reasons, and the administration had been lying about that, Trump kicked his feet against the wall and screamed he was going to delay the census, which is subject to strict legal requirements and timing, until he got his way. Days later the administration quietly acknowledged reality and announced it was giving up the effort to add the question. Days after that, though, he called his own administration's statements "fake news" and announced he's going to keep pushing for the politically-convenient question, because it's so important, although his minions are still deciding why it's so important.
* This week, Trump confused everyone with his promise to add "new Abrams and Sherman tanks" to the 4th of July parade, to emphasize our military strength. Even a non-military head like mine got scratched over that one. How was he gonna provide "the brand-new Sherman tanks" when the U.S. military hasn't used them since the 1950's. There ain't no new Sherman tanks. Apparently someone finally explained that to the Babbler-in-Chief, and the Casa Blanca announced that these old tanks would be "on display."
As a friend put it on facebook, "The WH occupant said we would have the new Abrams and Sherman tanks on display at the July 4th event. But they would not be in the parade to keep from damaging the streets. I was looking forward to seeing a Sherman tank that hasn't been in our arsenal since the early '60s. The Commander in Chief should know what weapons he has under his command."
From my reading I also know that there was a time -- say, 105 years ago, just as the European nations started World War I -- when patriotic people attended 4th of July picnics and viewed our flag as a wonderful and strong symbol of Peace. I doubt Mr. Trump -- or, given our permanent war state, most of us -- could really comprehend that.
******* But he topped that on the 4th of July:
Speaking to the crowd there for fireworks, he outdid himself. In praising the Revolutionary War soldiers, he boasted that "the Army manned the air" and that "they took over the airports, they did everything they had to do." When a pal posted a quotation on facebook, I commented that dim as Trump was, I couldn't quite believe that one and would research it; but a moment's research showed that he had -- and even included video! The video dispelled my notion that maybe he'd been smiling when he said it. (He also read blissfully a reference to "Cornwallis of Yorktown" as if the British General hailed from Yorktown; but having grown up just a few miles away, I knew that the writer meant "at," since the significant battle occurred at Yorktown, NY; and he seemed to think the retaking of Fort McHenry, during which battle Francis Scott Key composed "The Star-Spangled Banner," occurred during the Revolutionary War, not the War of 1812.
That's exceptionally idiotic. He's blaming the teleprompter. But a man with a mind, and a minimum amount of normal knowledge, would catch himself and reject "they took control of the airports" when talking about the 18th Century. I mean, the teleprompter could tell me Jesus texted a lot on his cell-phone, but I think I'd manage not to say that out loud to folks.
* Donald Trump picks up on a months-old video that caught soccer star Megan Rapinoe saying that if the U.S. women's team won, she wouldn't visit "the fucking White House." Whether you agree or disagree with her views, can you imagine Barack Obama (or FDR or Dwight David Eisenhower, had technology permitted it in their times) responding to Boston pitcher Curt Schilling saying something negative about him? Most grownups have more self-control. Have their eyes somewhat on the ball. Meanwhile, Trump starts the spat (less insultingly than his comments on black athletes kneeling during the national anthem, maybe 'cause Megan's lighter complected), and pursues it. Predictably, it becomes a big public deal, adding to many fans' distaste for Donald, unifies the U.S. team, and probably brings some non-U.S. soccer fans to root for the U.S. team. If the team wins, Trump will look bad, 'cause the whole thing emphasizes that most athletic teams now don't feel that visiting the White House to shake hands with a somewhat obnoxious clown is any great honor. If the team loses, Trump will call out Rapinoe for not keeping focused on her task -- a concept that ain't his strong suit.
*At the G-20, where nations reassert their commitment (a weaker commitment than we might like, but at least something) Trump has to wriggle out of it -- and make childish comments on climate change ("The U.S. has the purest air and water it's ever had," and crediting himself for U.S. strengths) that show how little he even understands the concept.
“It doesn’t always work with a windmill. When the wind goes off, the plant isn’t working. It doesn’t always work with solar because solar [is] just not strong enough, and a lot of them want to go to wind, which has caused a lot of problems,” he continued, according to The Washington Post.
“Wind doesn’t work for the most part without subsidy. The United States is paying tremendous amounts of subsidies for wind. I don’t like it. I don’t like it,” he added.
* At the G-20, too, he cozies up to Vlad Putin, turning a question about election-meddling into a buddy-buddy in-joke between him and Putin, making light of the election insecurity that's begun to worry even most of his Republican pals.
* The U.S. Supreme Court (with a 5-4 extremely conservative majority) actually denies Trump's political effort to put a census question on the U.S. Census. Trump, who has insisted the question is necessary to enforce federal civil rights laws, makes a self-contradictory argument, while the court system learns that a Republican political hack (whom Trump's people had denied was involved) had initiated the whole damned effort to ask the question; and Trump, forgetting that he's argued that the June 30 deadline for starting to print census forms is a reason the Court should decide this fast, says, oh, well, we can delay that to October while we try to re-argue this with the Court. He hints at a delay in the census -- despite the fact that federal laws mandate it be done every ten years -- and appears ready to throw the whole thing into confusion by delaying training, printing, and other preparation. As always, doing a good job (on this supposedly non-political federal duty) isn't much of a consideration if little Donald isn't getting what he wants.
Miffed by the Supreme Court's decision tossing out the "citizenship question" proposed for the census, because the question was obviously for political reasons, and the administration had been lying about that, Trump kicked his feet against the wall and screamed he was going to delay the census, which is subject to strict legal requirements and timing, until he got his way. Days later the administration quietly acknowledged reality and announced it was giving up the effort to add the question. Days after that, though, he called his own administration's statements "fake news" and announced he's going to keep pushing for the politically-convenient question, because it's so important, although his minions are still deciding why it's so important.
* This week, Trump confused everyone with his promise to add "new Abrams and Sherman tanks" to the 4th of July parade, to emphasize our military strength. Even a non-military head like mine got scratched over that one. How was he gonna provide "the brand-new Sherman tanks" when the U.S. military hasn't used them since the 1950's. There ain't no new Sherman tanks. Apparently someone finally explained that to the Babbler-in-Chief, and the Casa Blanca announced that these old tanks would be "on display."
As a friend put it on facebook, "The WH occupant said we would have the new Abrams and Sherman tanks on display at the July 4th event. But they would not be in the parade to keep from damaging the streets. I was looking forward to seeing a Sherman tank that hasn't been in our arsenal since the early '60s. The Commander in Chief should know what weapons he has under his command."
From my reading I also know that there was a time -- say, 105 years ago, just as the European nations started World War I -- when patriotic people attended 4th of July picnics and viewed our flag as a wonderful and strong symbol of Peace. I doubt Mr. Trump -- or, given our permanent war state, most of us -- could really comprehend that.
******* But he topped that on the 4th of July:
Speaking to the crowd there for fireworks, he outdid himself. In praising the Revolutionary War soldiers, he boasted that "the Army manned the air" and that "they took over the airports, they did everything they had to do." When a pal posted a quotation on facebook, I commented that dim as Trump was, I couldn't quite believe that one and would research it; but a moment's research showed that he had -- and even included video! The video dispelled my notion that maybe he'd been smiling when he said it. (He also read blissfully a reference to "Cornwallis of Yorktown" as if the British General hailed from Yorktown; but having grown up just a few miles away, I knew that the writer meant "at," since the significant battle occurred at Yorktown, NY; and he seemed to think the retaking of Fort McHenry, during which battle Francis Scott Key composed "The Star-Spangled Banner," occurred during the Revolutionary War, not the War of 1812.
That's exceptionally idiotic. He's blaming the teleprompter. But a man with a mind, and a minimum amount of normal knowledge, would catch himself and reject "they took control of the airports" when talking about the 18th Century. I mean, the teleprompter could tell me Jesus texted a lot on his cell-phone, but I think I'd manage not to say that out loud to folks.
What the supreme Court actually said about the citizenship question was that the Trump administration needed to give them a better reason for including the question. So if he, ex post, can come up with a better reason, the supreme Court will approve it.
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