Manchurian Candidate

December 12, 2016

In the first thirty-four days since the election we’ve seen many historical firsts. The first winner to have lost by over two million votes, first victor to complain about election fraud, first president-elect to publicly contradict the CIA, first president-elect too smart to be bothered with daily security briefings. The list goes on…

Since the Donald was hired for his capricious style, we should expect the unexpected. There is no question that outrageous declarations, selecting wolfs to guard henhouses and ignoring diplomatic protocols are all typical Trump behavior. Perhaps, a more interesting question is: hired by whom?

Our security agencies are screaming foul, the FBI loyalties remain in question, the integrity of the election is in serious doubt, but the republic stands – because, for now, we have a real president.

At first, I wondered why the Donald-elect wasn’t attending the daily security briefings. He didn’t want the real dirt? About real people, in real places?  With that kind of info a guy could make a few bucks. Seemed like the kind of thing he would be interested in.

Then the Donald-elect announced that his generals and the VP would be taking the daily briefings for him. (Hearing Trump say, “My Generals” sent a chill up my spine, but reminded me add ammo to my shopping list.) So I get it, Trump has a famously short attention span – so stuff like security detail is best left to those with more rigorous cognitive skills. In sort, Trump finds it boring; so, handle it Pence!

Yeah, but that information has got to be gold! Got to be worth some real cash! Why would he ignore the very best information the United States intelligence had to offer? Then it occurred to me, and the reason was as obvious as a Russian tank in downtown DC.

Trump is taking security briefing, just not ours.

Hell, those CIA and NSA reports have got to be really difficult reading – packed with jargon, unpronounceable names and hundreds, maybe thousands, of plot threads. How could they expect a “Big Picture” guy the Donald to hook up with such trivia? Not fair!

Ah, but the Russian, who have been working with him since the beginning of his campaign, know just how to communicate with Trump. They know he likes short simple declarative sentences. They know to avoid interrogatives, because questions make his head hurt. Statements like, “Crimea good, Ukraine bad!” or “Syria good, Israel bad” work best with the comrad Donald. And his Russians friend are good at keeping it simple.

Hmm, seem to have gone down a dark rabbit-hole again. I feel an angry little poem coming on:

nonbeliever prayer

if there is a god
may she keep us
safe from
this traitor

That’s all I got today. Take care of yourselves and each other,
osv