Dear America,
Donald Trump has prescribed a new philosophy for Republicans and they seem in large numbers to have embraced it: "Honi soit qui mal y pense." It is an ancient phrase that endures today on the crest of the British royal family, in British court rooms and on their passports as well as in other places where official business is done. It's meaning has been variously interpreted from the language, but in this context, the meaning that I would ascribe to it is, "Evil to him that does not believe". And it is apt for anything associated with Trump; I see no way to debate that premise. Anyone who crosses him will experience irrational vituperation, spiteful retribution, and as a consequence, opprobrium from a substantial swath of the Republican Party. It is the motto of an aspiring autocrat, an irrational Inquisitor, a shameless demagogue, a paranoid megalomaniac, an unapologetic prevaricator, an advocate for palpable lies, an inveterate cheat in business and marriage, a disloyal ally and friend, a general hedonist, and to pull it all together, an ego with feet.
Frankly, I don't care if Trump is all those things as long as he continues to hold his Mad Tea Party at Mar-a-Lago and no one but the Mad Hatter and the March Hare attend. He can keep his little confederacy of the irrational down there in Florida where they can't really do any harm and I don't have to hear or read about it. But it seems that Trump is not content just to hold his demented court. He is rumored to be preparing to resume his courting of the lunatic fringe with more of his inimitable rallies, presumably in anticipation of an attempt to return to power. And he now has acolytes doing the same in his name, like Margery Taylor Greene, who fits right in to the Mad Tea Party scenario, Q-anon subscription and all. There is some danger for us all in that because by some electoral college kind of quirk in our system, it is conceivable that the malefactor in chief could stage a comeback. Between Trump's conceit and the gullibility of his fanatical adulators, and with the new prominence of AI manipulation imbedded in everyone's cell phone, the possibility cannot be dismissed without further attention. But even if Trump doesn't return to power, his implicit mantra...Honi soit qui mal y pense...is a recipe for the demise of American democracy, and given the width and breadth of American power, for the demise of liberty worldwide. It is not the idea that is the danger. It is the practice that devolves from it. I mentioned that Trump is an irrational inquisitor when he has it out for someone, and the Inquisition is what I think of when I think of condemnation of all who do not believe in something. Trump's administration, especially the last eighteen months or so of it, was like an inquisition, though fortunately, unlike the Spanish Inquisition it didn't last for two hundred and fifty years...at least not yet.
This may seem like nothing more than an idle rant, but to me it is a rational fear. Devious people like Donald Trump are profound menaces when they ascend to power. Think of Nicholas Maduro, Vladimir Putin...hell, think of Idi Amin. You may be inclined to think such references to be hyperbole, but think again. If Donald Trump had the power to prescribe to our Department of Justice whom to prosecute and for what, would you be comfortable speaking out in the American tradition about Trump's behavior? Would you trust him to be just? Would you trust him not to abuse his power? Would you trust that he couldn't do you harm with his impunity if he had such impunity? And now, he has the seemingly incontrovertible credence and loyalty of at least 70% of one of our two major political parties. Granted, 70% of the mere 25% of our registered partisans is only about 17% of all voters, but look how much damage they did in 2020. This honi soit qui mal y pense mentality is a threat of a profound proportion, and it is no idle fantasy. Because it is such a danger, it needs to have its name attached to it. Don't be afraid to say it out loud now, because if you don't, you may wake up one day in 2024 and find that it's too late. An autocrat and his cabal are like a malignant tumor. They won't just go away. Remember: Honi soit qui mal y ponse. It is the new Republican modus operandi, and it is the juggernaut that Donald Trump will try to ride back into town...Washington, D.C. that is.
Your friend,
Mike
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