Bearing Witness to Trump Week 31

August 20 – 26, 2017

President Trump decides we need more troops in our 16-year war in Afghanistan, in contrast to Campaign Trump who said it was a mess and we should bring them home. Sending more troops who will die not to build the country, not to defend our homeland, but simply to prove that he “won” by “obliterating and crushing” the enemy in a tragedy. Yes, of course, 4000 more troops will surely make a difference he must think. And in true Trump style he plays India off of Pakistan and implies we will chase the enemy into Pakistan if needed. Sure, let’s get everyone in SE Asia fighting between themselves just like everyone in the Trump administration. He is such a predictable.  To cover his bets, he does not define what constitutes victory or under what conditions we will declare this sad part of American history over with.

The President can’t help himself from fighting with everybody, especially those supposedly on his own side. He bickers with Senator Mitch McConnell constantly and the turmoil has boiled over into profane shouting matches. Trump continues to bully and badger other Republicans who criticize him as much as he does Democrats.

Things have gotten so bad a Missouri State Senator speaks her mind when she suggests on social media the President should be assassinated. How sad she said this and sad our state of affairs has become for our country. With some justification many call for her retraction or resignation, but what about Trump who has also support or called for violence at his own rallies?

Trump retreats to a rally with his base in Phoenix and does so predictably what Trump always does. Throws red meat out into he crown with the same hackneyed angry white man con artist propaganda. He blames everyone as if he is the victim, but mostly dehumanizing the free press as if they are the enemy of the state. If only he would attack with the same vigor the true threats to our country like the Russians meddling in our elections or neo-Nazis fueling hate. God bless our newspapers and journalists who have documented over 1,000 lies and misleading statements from Trump since he took office, not counting all those during the campaign.

The next day Trump is in Reno to face the American Legion and acts like a completely different man. Not only is he a mean-spirited bully narcissist, but others wonder if he suffers from psychotic or bi-polar split personality disease.

Trump threatens to shut down the U.S. Government if the budget bill does not include money for the Mexican wall. Hum, I thought he was going to bully and abuse the Mexicans into paying for the wall. It now seems he is going to abuse us into paying for it. But his playbook is so predictable, after all he has taken his own companies into financial distress and bankruptcy to get what he wants. Why would we think he would do any different with the U.S. as if it was his own company to pillage and spoil?

The Trump administration continues its war on the truth, political opposition, and White House leakers. This time National Park officials have been muzzled from speaking out in opposition to the hunting of bears and wolves in our few wild places, like Alaska preserves.

Trump ends the week by pardoning controversial ex-Arizona sheriff Arpaio. Arpaio was convicted of acting above the law in defiance of court orders. Is there any doubt that there will be more pardons to come? Perhaps even pardoning himself.

The White House loses another adviser, this time National Security Aide Sebastian Gorka. How does anything get done in that house we are left to wonder?

The above news has been taken from a number of international, national, regional, and local news media sources, both print and digital. Additional editorial opinions and comments about these news items are those of this author.