Welcome to the Jonestown American style!
It is profound that the mainstream media now recognizes that Donald Trump is taking the United States down the road to fascism. To a person on MSNBC’S “Morning Joe,” all of these pundits say fascism is upon us. Donald Trump is waging war “against the ballots.”
He is claiming that if he does not win, the election has been fixed. His strategy to extend his reign not only beyond the election, but a third term and more. The President must be delusional, but with the aid of the Republicans his fascism has turned our democracy upside down.
He has undermined our democratic institutions. Everyone who opposed him has been vulnerable to his wrath without the protections of democratic institutions. Donald Trump transformed Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman from that of heroic patriot, to the sacrificial lamb his father had feared he might become. It does not matter that government agencies are obligated to protect the rights of their civil servants, Donald Trump negates protocols as though the U. S. government was his private fiefdom. Every Inspector General, the agency watchdogs, who attempted to follow the rules to protect democracy’s interests, as opposed to Trump’s personal interests, was fired.
Richard Nixon had to resign from office over essentially one event, “The Watergate affair.” Fascism is now legit to use in mainstream discourse in that Donald Trump has broken the norms of our democratic republic as a result with his authoritarian corruption. Recall the Thomas Jefferson’s admonition to the woman in Philadelphia who asked, what kind of a government do we have? And his response was a democratic republic, if we can keep it? It has lasted for nearly 250 years, but with dictatorship tendencies, there are no guarantees at this point.
As a result of COVID-19, America’s future is up in the air. This virus, being enemy No. 1, has severely weakened our economy. Some economists argue a full recovery may take 10 years. But more than that, under President Donald Trump’s leadership, politics of the personal, rather than science and competence, are jeopardizing the nation healthwise. The United States is 5% of the world’s population, but around 25% of deaths worldwide, exceeding 200,000 and counting.
“Rage,” Bob Woodward’s book on Donald Trump reveals that the President knowingly lied to the public by playing down the dangers of the virus when he knew it be more deadly than he was saying. The President claims the reason for the deception was because didn’t want to cause a panic, meaning he did not want to “spook” the stock market, his favored economic indicator.
Trump’s lie cost at least one of his followers his life, according to his daughter, Kristin Urquiza. Urquiza states that her dad died from the virus. Specifically, she stated her dad’s only “pre- existing condition” was trusting Donald Trump. She argued that her father’s belief in the President’s lie misled him.
Kristin’s dad was not alone in trusting President Trump. His followers are dedicated to him. They are “true believers.” In spite of all of the disasters of his many “deals,” they love him. That’s what those bright red MAGA caps are all about, they believe in him. You tell them the Washington Post has cited him making over 25,000 lies! Their response is Obama said, “You like your doctor, you keep your doctor.” They have been seduced by Trump.
The problem with these “true believers” is that following Trump is leading the world in deaths. Rather than “follow the science,” Trump rallies seem destined to increase deaths, of his own followers like Mr. Urquiza and possibly his friend Herman Cain, who died following Trump’s Tulsa rally. Deaths since that fateful day have exceeded 190,000 people.
In 1978, America and the world were horrified to see “true believers” suckered in by a charismatic leader that they loved and trusted was going to make them a better life. To these desperate people he preached utopia. That utopia was to be Jonestown. Even though he lied to them, they continued to love him.
They loved him even to the point that they had disregard for their own lives. The mass murder- suicide was considered such an affront to humanity, the act was condemned by the world. In that case of mass deception 900 people died.
To the 30%- 40% that love Donald Trump, he has charisma, partially because he believes in conspiracy theories. Much of the white evangelical is anti- science. They love him being who he is.
From March 19, the date that Donald Trump lied, the nation had lost 190,000 lives. Asked how many lives could have saved had Trump not lied, William Haseltine, a health care expert said 180,000. Hence, 180,000 have died needlessly.
Though impeached for attempting to have a foreign government implicated in our elections, he was not removed from office by the Senate. The incipient fascism and corruption of this president rests with the Republican Party and Mitch Mcconnell, in particular.
In comparison to the Jonestown horror, the
180,000 deaths since March 19 means Donald Trump has been responsible for 362 Jonestowns!