The Mueller Report: An Exclusive Inside Look

I have obtained information, verified from several sources whom I am not at liberty to identify, that provide previously undisclosed details of the soon to be released Mueller Report.  This is for your eyes only.  Do not share beyond your closest Facebook friends, their immediate relatives, and certainly not beyond neighbors of their third cousins.

Robert Mueller

While Robert Mueller and his team have been diligent in maintaining the secrecy of the contents of the final report, I have discovered some startling facts.  Like the New Testament, the Old Testament, the Koran, the Talmud, the U.S. Constitution, the Magna Carta, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence, the Mueller report will have words.  Unlike the first four documents in this list, those words will be written in English.  Therein lays the problem.  English, as we who think we understand the language will admit, is a complex and convoluted communication tool complete with challenges beyond most normal human comprehension.  Most certainly, English is well beyond the cognition of our “beloathed” president.  [new word coinage:“beloathed” shall come to mean the opposite of beloved and will generate feelings of intense dislike or disgust]

English has homonyms and it has homophones.  Now, Trump and his followers will believe that homonyms are songs sung in gay churches and that a homophone is a gay communication device.  The rest of us understand that they are but two terms that partially explain the fact that English words can be confusing.  We have words like to, too, and two, that are pronounced alike but are used in very different ways.  President Trump doesn’t use them correctly but he does use them all.  We all know that a dog can bark at a tree but is he barking at the bark on the tree and if the dog leaves are there any left on the tree?  We have words like a bow, which can mean the front of a ship, a weapon to shoot arrows, or what you do in front of a queen.  You see the first two examples in this list are heteronyms while the ship and queen bow references are both homonyms and homophones.  Confused yet?

Close up of the Russia Probe

You just know that Trump, with his third-grade vocabulary and total lack of interest in reading anything longer than a 280-character tweet, will never get to read the Mueller Report.  Trump will, however, be provided a comprehensive summary which has already been written by his White House Press Secretary, Sarah Huckleberry Sanders.  Since Sarah will be retiring in January to pursue other interests, the report summary had to be written in advance of its release.  We have obtained an exclusive copy of the summary which simply states, “No collusion, no collusion, it was a witch hunt all along.  A total witch hunt.”

Sarah Huckleberry Sanders

In her retirement, we are told Mrs. Sanders will be the new voice of Maleficent for the planned Disney remake of Sleeping Beauty.  As an evil fairy and the self-proclaimed “Mistress of All Evil,” the role will not be much of a stretch for the multi-talented Mrs. Sanders.  We are also told that Sarah will be acquiring a Burger King franchise.  With her experience as an official spokesperson for Donald Trump’s White House, she will be very comfortable at “The Home of the Whopper.”  She plans to open her new Burger King across the street from the Red Hen restaurant in Lexington, Virginia where she was refused service in June of 2018.

Home of the Whopper

Meanwhile, back at the Mueller investigative report, while we have divulged that the report will contain words, the next question will be which words?  Donald Trump said at a rally in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, “I know words” and “I have the best words.”  Mueller, on the other hand, also knows words and the report is known to have phrases like, “The party of the first part, aka Mr. Orange, is the yet unindicted  conspirator,” “witnesseth,” “whereas,” and “further affiant sayeth naught.”  It has been reported that four of the authors of the report are Byzantine scholars who will make second-rate lawyers like Rudy Giuliani have their eyeballs roll back in their heads.

The Mueller Report, aka the Russia Probe, and Bob’s Big Reveal, will be published in 2019, but it will not see the light of day at its release.  I have obtained a copy of the first page of the report after a few redactions by Republican senators.  It can only be described as a white page with 27 black rectangles.  

Behind the black rectangles you will find the good stuff; a Russian troll factory, Hillary’s missing emails, the floorplan of President Putin’s penthouse in Trump Tower Moscow, Trump’s German bank account filled with rubles, and the words, “ I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids”.  Actually, that last thing was a quote from Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.  I love that movie and just wanted to work it in somehow.

A scene from Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove
Eirily pertinent at this point in history

In reality, the Report will not draw conclusions but will merely present facts.  Those facts will paint a picture but, as in all art, beauty and interpretation will be in the eye of the beholder.  No matter what words are used, if you are Donald J. Trump it will say, no collusion.  If you are Mitch McConnell it will say, “How long can I stall the release of this while I continue to get more “campaign donations” to fill my own bank account?”  If you are Trump’s kids you will just skim read the whole thing looking for your own name.  If you are Vladimir Putin it will say, I am a f***ing genius.

Early Celebration of the Report

Breaking News

In a bold move overnight and with the nation occupied with the looming shutdown, Donald J Trump, from his lair at Mar-a-Lago, has declared that his property is now a religious nation-state similar to the Vatican. In his role as emperor and pope of Mar-a-Lago, his holiness quickly annexed the remainder of Palm Beach County, renamed it the new Republic of Trump, and promptly seceded from the State of Florida and the rest of the United States.

Then, in a series of executive tweets or Execu-Tweets, as he calls them, he declared war on the United States. In his continuing role as Commander in Chief of the United States, he surrendered to the Republic of Trump stating that the U.S. was no match for the superior intellect of the leader of that new nation. As so-called “spoils of war,” he has ordered the contents of Ft. Knox to be transferred to the Bingham Island Audubon Preserve just off the Southern Boulevard causeway connecting the mainland to Mar-a-Lago, for safekeeping.

The Pink House
Headquarters and Lair of Emperor Trump

Traffic through the Republic of Trump will still be permitted on the Florida Turnpike but U.S. citizens may find the $10,000 toll a bit restricting. You may exit into the new Republic but only if you are wearing an official MAGA hat made in Ivanka Trump’s sweatshops in China. Hat tags will be checked at the border crossings.

New Florida Turnpike Exit to the Republic of Trump

The official language of the Republic of Trump is Trumpish, which is a combination of small words of English and gibberish. The official beverage of the Republic is covfefe made from coffee beans, hot water, and dextroamphetamine saccharate (aka Adderall XR).

The new official currency is the Trumpence, which, according to John Stump (a spy from North Carolina), is "worth virtually nothing but is still bright gold and ostentatious." The Republic will still accept U.S. currency as long as it is stuffed in a plain brown envelope. You can exchange one large bag of U.S. dollars for one Trumpence but there is no exchange of Trumpence for dollars. The Trumpence is a large gold looking coin with the face of Donald Trump on one side and the back of his head on the other.

One Trumpence
(worthless but shiny object)

The official flag of the Republic of Trump is a large rectangle with white stripes on a white background with a fancy white fringe border. The flag should come in handy if one needs to surrender.

Flag of Trump Republic
(Where Whiteness is Important)

Emperor-for-life Donald J Trump has also ordered the building of a large wall around Mar-a-Lago and a second wall around the whole of the former Palm Beach County. The wall around Mar-a-Lago will be built out of gold bars from the Audubon Preserve Treasury and the main wall around the Republic of Trump will be built by laborers hired from the parking lot of the local Home Depot. Once the walls are built all the laborers will be deported to Florida.

Emperor Trump will begin negotiations with President Trump to see about further concessions that will be made to the new Republic. These negotiations are predicted to be tense and last for days if not weeks. The two main negotiators, Emperor Trump and President Trump, are both prone to say one thing, and then the opposite, and to change their minds in the same sentence. They love each other but won’t give in, as each wants the upper hand. The negotiations will be held at 4720 Broadway Avenue in the New Republic, as it is the one location that is agreeable to both parties. It also happens to be a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant.

The site of Negotiations, 4720 Broadway Ave., Trump Republic

In his role as President of the United States, Donald Trump will govern only through Execu-Tweets and will no longer occupy the White House. He says that he will thus be able to avoid prosecution as he has banned extradition from the R of T.

His Holiness of the Trump Republic

As a self-proclaimed religious leader, his Trump Organization will be exempt from all taxes. The religion is founded on the teachings of Gordon Gekko from the 1987 movie, Wall Street and the mantra, “Greed is Good,” will be the Republic’s motto. According to the new religious leader, “Greed is a clean drive that captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, and for knowledge, has marked the upward surge of all mankind.” Emperor Trump read this movie quote from a cue card as Trumpish couldn’t quite capture the true essence of the new movement. After reciting the cue card’s contents, the new emperor took a nap, as he hadn’t done that much reading in years.

The Bible of the Trump Republic, Fortune Magazine

In the true meaning and spirit of the Christmas season, Emperor Trump has declared R of T citizenship to all billionaires. As further enticement, he has declared that they will be exempt from taxes since all tax revenue will come from the peons and peasants. These underlings are defined as anyone not listed in the Forbes 400 Ranking of the Richest Americans.

Putin says, "What have I created?"

As word spread of the creation of the new nation-state from the remains of what was once Palm Beach County, congratulations began to trickle in. Vladimir Putin's congratulatory message wasn't made for several hours as he claimed it took him a long time to stop laughing.  Andrea Merkel said, "Was für ein Idiot," which needs no translation.

World Leaders react to the declaration of Trump Republic 

His holiness, as he also likes to be called, has named his new ambassadors to the U.S. and they are Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt, and Brian Kilmeade, aka the on-air staff of Fox & Friends. He has also named Bill O’Reilly as his head of Human Resources. 

The new Pink House staff have a familiar look.

Harvey Weinstein is the new Communications Director who will also be responsible for all sensibility training of the Pink House (aka Mar-a-Lago) staff. Roman Polansky has been hired as the new head of Children’s Services. David Duke, former Grand Wizard of the KKK, has been appointed to handle race relations and Stephen Miller was named Director of ATC. When asked what ATC was we were told it stood for All Things Creepy.

Stephen Miller Director All Things Creepy

That’s what happened while you slept.

U.S.A., Inc.

Our government was founded to be run as a democracy free from the autocratic rule historically common with our European ancestors.  When did we, as a democracy, vote that the U.S.A. should be run like a business?  When did the operation of our government become a criminal enterprise, disguised as a business, set up to profit the wealthy on the backs of middle-class Americans, become a reality?  If you haven’t been paying attention, maybe it’s time to look around and smell the corruption.  Yes, corruption has an odor and it is foul.

First off, don’t blame Donald Trump for this situation.  He didn’t create it; he just ripped off the Band-Aid and exposed the festering wound that was already there.  He “drained the swamp,” replaced the swamp water with toxic waste, swapped out the alligators for venomous snakes, and took political corruption to new heights.

While we are supposedly a nation of laws, when those established laws are either not enforced or only prosecuted selectively, we can no longer claim that societal advancement.  It is readily apparent, even to the casual observer, that our laws are not applied equally.  Two citizens commit identical crimes.  One is wealthy and can afford an expensive lawyer.  The other is of average means and is assigned an over-worked public defender.  I’m sure I don’t have to carry this analogy any further as we have all regularly seen how such situations are resolved.  You can read the article about Jeffery Epstein’s case where he committed multiple heinous crimes against minor children and, in lieu of life imprisonment in a federal penitentiary, which would normally be the outcome for most citizens, he served 13 months in county jail with work release privileges.  In Mr. Epstein’s case, it was a combination of wealth and his associations with powerful and influential people that allowed him to make a mockery of our “nation of laws.”

On the political front, we regularly see politicians ignore and violate the law without consequence.  Rarely are politicians brought to justice and even then, it would seem that crime pays and pays well.  We seem to have become jaded when it comes to political corruption.  We have all seen our leaders walk into political offices with modest public salaries and exit those offices with large bank accounts.  In recent years, political financial transactions that would have been illegal a short time ago, are now legal.  Our leaders used to at least feign ethical behavior but now they no longer seem to be burdened by morality.  There is no profit in ethics and we all know, in business the bottom line is paramount.

We have seen the intent of our Constitution and the laws derived therefrom, twisted and interpreted with such convoluted logic, that up is now down, black is now white, and truth lives with alternative facts.  The 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court decision, held that “Political spending is a form of protected speech under the First Amendment, and the government may not keep corporations or unions from spending money to support or denounce individual candidates in elections.”  This decision opened the financial floodgates and made political offices lucrative beyond all expectations.  With this much money floating around, corruption became the name of the game and ethics and morality became casualties of political profiteering.

The New Reality

We no longer saw Congress debating ideology on the merits of what was best for our country, but saw financially driven partisan fighting for legislation that provided the best outcome for the bank accounts of the politicians and their friends.  In the forefront of all decision-making and legislation was the re-election potential for the politicians and the bottom-line of the businesses or individuals that coughed up enough money to become relevant in that process.  The operation of our government became a corrupt business enterprise.  An award-winning recipe for corruption calls for one politician (free-range is best), add money from anonymous sources to taste, and stir.

Free-Range Politician

Who better to head a corrupt government business than a man who already headed a corrupt business empire?  Enter Donald J. Trump.  People were so disgusted with the existing political structure that they thought; maybe a billionaire business tycoon and reality TV star would be better.  Well, “The Donald” brought his entire crime family to Washington and proceeded to appoint inexperienced individuals of wealth to run our nation. 

Who better to manage the Treasury than former Goldman Sachs senior executive Steven Mnuchin?  Yes, it was Goldman Sachs that needed a 10 billion dollar bailout from the Treasury because they had gotten greedy with their involvement in the sub-prime mortgage fiasco.  Who better to be the Secretary of Education than billionaire Betsy DeVos who arrives with no experience in public education?  Who better to run the Department of Health and Human Services than Tom Price, forced to resign after his $341,000 spending spree?  Who better to run the Department of Housing and Urban Development than Dr. Ben Carson who arrives with absolutely no government or public housing experience?  Who better to head the Department of Energy than Rick Perry who has no experience running a national-security agency (DOE manages the nuclear stockpile) and famously campaigned on the premise that he wanted to eliminate the agency for which he is now the head?  Who better to head the Environmental Protection Agency than Scott Pruitt, a man who had sued that agency 14 times and is an avid climate change denier and champion of the fossil fuel industry?  I’ll end the list here but as the song says, The Beat Goes On.

Donald Trump, aka “The Donald,” aka "The Weave," shares the same name as the head of most Mafia crime families who are also called the Don, or Godfather.  His underbosses are Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell.  His Consigliere is Jared Kushner.  His Caporegimes or Capos are sons, Don, Jr. and Eric.  I guess that would make Melania his moll.  The analogy with the Italian Mafia is perhaps closer than a Russian mob comparison since the Russians require a complete severance with family members.  In order to be a crowned head, or Vor (thief in law) in the Russian structure, also requires multiple prison terms and appropriate tats.  Trump does not yet qualify in this regard.  Alternatively, should we say “nyet?”

Working on those "tats"

The thought that our government or any government can be run like a for-profit corporation, is beyond the pale.  [That latter expression has links to Catherine the Great of Russia and its origin is of interest if you follow the provided link.]  Governments are not businesses.  While certain tenets like maintaining solvency are had in common, enough differences in structure, motivation, and operation exist to require separate thought processes.  A good business background may be helpful but a government, at least a good government, requires a different mindset.  Businesses are run for profit.  Even those not-for-profit businesses must place financial solvency as a definitive goal.  Governments are established to provide for the safety and well-being of the governed.  We are not America, LLC, or the U.S.A., Incorporated, we were supposed to be the United States of America founded with a document that began, "We the People...."

Goal for 2020

It's time to flush the majority of the old guard and replace them with new, forward-thinking individuals.  At this point, their political views and party are of less importance to me than their honesty, a duty to country, their vision, their ability to negotiate with a conscience, a certain loyalty to constituents,  valuing our nation over blind party loyalty, and their ability to stand on their own two feet (versus sitting on their asses).  I would like to once again have the ability to vote for an individual based on their merit and not just be inclined to vote a straight party ticket.  Without a changing of the guard, we don't stand a chance of meaningful election reform where we can try to get the money out of politics.

A Royal Flush
(This one may need the plunger)

Too often today, legislative decisions are made solely to advance the financial well-being of a select few with the proclaimed objective of that newly directed wealth benefitting the masses through some yet unrealized “trickle down” maze.  As we have seen, after the wealthy one percent skim off the cream of their windfall, the resulting liquid that finds its way to the 99 percent (the rest of us), is aptly named a trickle.  The folks who actually think they see some trickle, soon realize they are merely the recipients of a warm tinkle.  It’s time to stop being pissed on and get pissed off.

Florida Noise Pollution and Illegal Vehicle Modifications

The State of Florida is one of fifteen or so states with laws that prohibit the use of mufflers that emit “excessive or unusual” noise AND prohibits modification if it causes the muffler to emit more noise than the original factory-installed muffler.  [Florida Statutes 316.293, Motor vehicle noise.]

Fla. Stat. § 316.272 (2013) § 316.272.  Exhaust systems, prevention of noise  (1) Every motor vehicle shall at all times be equipped with an exhaust system in good working order and in constant operation, including muffler, manifold pipe, and tailpiping to prevent excessive or unusual noise. In no event shall an exhaust system allow noise at a level which exceeds a maximum decibel level to be established by regulation of the Department of Environmental Protection as provided in s. 403.061(11) in cooperation with the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. No person shall use a muffler cutout, bypass or similar device upon a vehicle on a highway.(2) The engine and power mechanism of every motor vehicle shall be so equipped and adjusted as to prevent the escape of excessive fumes or smoke.(3) A violation of this section is a noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable as a nonmoving violation as provided in chapter 318. Fla. Stat. § 316.293 (2013) § 316.293.  Motor vehicle noise  ***(5)  Noise abatement equipment modifications.(a) No person shall modify the exhaust system of a motor vehicle or any other noise-abatement device of a motor vehicle operated or to be operated upon the highways of this state in such a manner that the noise emitted by the motor vehicle is above that emitted by the vehicle as originally manufactured.(b) No person shall operate a motor vehicle upon the highways of the state with an exhaust system or noise-abatement device so modified.

Like many Floridians, I live within earshot of a major roadway.  A certain level of road noise was to be expected from the cars and trucks traveling that major thoroughfare.  During a recent expansion of the Florida Turnpike, they built a so-called noise barrier wall to help control the noise.  By most accounts and from my own experience, these walls are mostly ineffectual for their intended purpose and perhaps not worth the great expense (by some estimates over $3 million per mile).

In recent years the popularity of muffler and tailpipe modifications that greatly enhance the noise levels of motorcycles and automobiles, has brought the frequency of ear-splitting noise events to the point where peaceful enjoyment of any property near a major roadway is impossible.  I recently went outside to enjoy my patio area and, even though the turnpike is over 100 yards away, no fewer than eight different modified vehicles roared up/down the turnpike in the course of one hour.  You don’t need a sophisticated decibel meter to know these vehicles have been modified to be noisier than intended by the vehicle manufacturer.

I'm sure many of you have pulled up next to one of these people.  Many are in smaller underpowered cars that want to sound BIG.  They will rev up their engines when stopped to make more racket and then accelerate to the next traffic light in an aggressive fashion.

"Loud but not raspy" - by Trevor
Put it on my 2007 Dodge Ram 1500 with the hemi. Sounds awesome as soon as you fire it up, takes a few hundred miles to break in and will eventually have a little different sound than what was initially there. About 3/4 of the way into breaking it in it gets quiet and doesn't really sound that great but eventually it gets loud again and sounds awesome.  Would recommend to anyone looking for a nice deep sound. [from an Amazon review of the Flowmaster Super 10 Muffler with Agressive Sound]

At night, even when cooler weather would permit the opening of your windows, it would be impossible to get a good night’s sleep due to these muffler modified vehicles.  Even with lower traffic levels at night, it doesn’t take but one or two of these modified vehicles to make an ear-splitting trip down the Florida Turnpike in the early hours to disrupt the sleep of literally hundreds of Floridians who live nearby.

Designed to be LOUD

Is it too much to ask the Florida Highway Patrol and local police to enforce the law?  If I read the Florida Statutes correctly, even the sale of such products in Florida is illegal.  I recently went on Amazon, who now has a physical presence in Florida, and found an entire page dedicated to “Loud Exhaust Tips” where they feature products designed to make vehicles louder.  These “loud bullet type resonators,” “Loud Mouth Axle Back Exhaust Kits,” and “Super 10 Mufflers with Aggressive Sound,” are advertised and positively reviewed for the extra noise they create.

Amazon page featuring several loud exhaust products

Enforcement of existing laws against the owners of these devices and cracking down on sellers of this equipment would go a long way to restoring the peace and tranquility of all those neighborhoods who happen to be within earshot of major roadways.

The New Morality

If you Google “new morality,” you will undoubtedly find references to religion and various decades where there were major morality shifts, like the 20’s and 60’s.  These shifts gain more or less significance in the related articles depending on the point of reference.  A church or religion might take a hard stance on abortion or homosexuality, where another group might deem racial equality or promiscuity to be of more significance.  Priorities are based on the goals or mindset of the group.

In the decade of the 1920’s, women got the right to vote, sexual mores were relaxed, and alcohol was declared illegal.  All of these things are perceived to have affected the moral code of our nation.  Prohibition initially lowered alcohol consumption but had the adverse effect of a rise in crime.

The 60’s were another matter.  The end of segregation, the improved equality for women, higher levels of social tolerance for homosexuality, environmental awareness, and a heightened respect for other cultures were seen as advancements.  They were all examples of milestone changes of the preexisting moral precepts.

In all of this analysis of morality, without regard to specifics, the underlying factor is the moral code of right vs. wrong.  All of us have an innate perception of what is right and what is wrong even if we can’t seem to find a strict definition.  Common decency comes to mind here where the word “common” is key.  Common connotes acceptance.  This acceptance can come from peer groups, social observations, education, parental guidance, or the like.

If we view the first nineteen years of this century and look further back to the last century we find a trend that would indicate a major overall shift in what is acceptable when viewed through the lens of common decency.  This shift does not look specifically at individual measures but at what we deem to be acceptable behavior.

We have come to accept that our politicians lie with alacrity.  When caught in the lie they will try to “spin the story” to lessen the impact of the lie or distract from its importance.  What we used to swallow with a “grain of salt” we now must smother in a gravy made of “who cares” and Chinese-five-spice.

We have also changed the entire political landscape whereby bribery is no longer illegal but condoned.  We can’t call it a bribe as it is now referred to as a “campaign finance donation.”  What’s the difference?  A bribe is money paid to a politician for favors that benefit the payor.  A campaign finance donation, on the other hand, is money paid to a politician for favors that benefit the payor.  If you fail to see the difference between a bribe and a campaign finance donation, join the club.  The legalization of bribery was made possible through the efforts of a right-leaning Supreme Court with its Citizens United decision.

The reference here is Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, 558 U.S. 310, which is a landmark U.S. constitutional law, campaign finance, and corporate law case dealing with regulation of political campaign spending by organizations.  Citizens United’s David Bossie has been its president since 2000.  In 2016, he took a leave of absence to be deputy campaign manager of Donald Trump's campaign for President of the United States.

Things like election fraud, gerrymandering of voting districts, restrictive voter ID laws, voter suppression, and deceptive campaign ads are all business as usual for modern campaigns and are brazen attempts to override the will of the people with the will of the wealthy.  A recent case in North Carolina involves Bladen County where mail-in ballots were collected by GOP employees and altered to assure a win for their candidate.  When we hear of such shenanigans, we barely raise an eyebrow.  We have come to accept the new morality.

Our business leaders seem content to bend or break the law as long as it benefits their shareholders.  To quote Harry Logan from the movie, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, “Rules?  In a knife fight?  No rules.”  If you remember the movie, Butch then throws dirt in Harry’s eyes and kicks him in the groin.  It seems that businessmen and politicians have adopted the knife fight mentality and play by the adage, No Rules.

“Getting into politics,” is no longer about a quest for the common good with lofty goals, it is today more about personal finance.  When analyzed with the benefit of history, I think we will find that our current president will have advanced his financial position beyond our wildest suspicions.  If he hasn’t, he isn’t the “deal maker” extraordinaire he told us he was.  His use of his presidential office for financial gain is perhaps the most egregious example of political greed we have seen in recent memory.

Worse than the sins of Trump are the sins of the 40% of Americans who blindly support the president even when confronted, on a daily basis, with the man’s nefarious deeds.  Trump’s moral turpitude, even when it is found to be depraved, is acceptable behavior as long as he supports my narrow position on [insert your cause here].

Our morality as a nation has slipped into a morass whereby our very survival may be seriously challenged.  We have come to too quickly accept immoral behavior as commonplace.  Lying, cheating, and stealing are seen as the way you get ahead in the modern world.  I am almost to the point where I say if you can’t beat them, join them.  Maybe it is time to get a bit dirty and play hardball if only to really “drain the swamp.” The last effort, if you can call it an effort, only added more swamp water and more alligators.  While the current GOP leader is the culprit du jour, Democrats are not without fault here.

The new moral code in America is one of limited accountability and a "what's in it for me" attitude.  JFK's admonition to "ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country" is but an echo from a forgotten time.

The Donald Trump Presidency; A Greek Tragedy

Character is destiny.  Heraclitus, Greek philosopher*

In the world that revolves around Donald Trump, we find a Greek Tragedy, not dissimilar to that of Sophocles’ Antigone.  In this modern tragedy, Trump plays King Creon who foretold the failure of the Greek political culture.  In Antigone, Creon is the victor in a civil war that results in the death of Polynices.  By decree, Creon orders that Polynices’ body lay unburied, in violation of Greek custom.  Antigone is Polynices’ sister who challenges the decree and is imprisoned.  The Chorus (public sentiment) rises up against Creon.  As with all good Greek tragedies, many people die and Creon ends up alone due to his excessive pride.  Antigone, Creon’s wife, and son, all commit suicide.  The German philosopher Hegel summarized the play’s lesson as, “A state that finds itself in a position of internal contradiction cannot survive.”

King Trump Greek Tragedy

While King Trump has ascended to the American throne 2,460 years after Creon, there are certain parallels here.  President Trump’s clash with Comey, and now Mueller, represents a contradiction between the rule of law and the will of the elected president.  The checks and balances built into our system of government provide conflict and stress between executive power and the laws and norms of American democracy.

In the national obsession that is Donald J. Trump, we have all learned things that we may have suspected were true but now know to be fact.  Many wealthy individuals have a different rulebook, a different set of morals, and a different set of standards by which they live.  I know that is a generalization and that there are certainly members of the “Community of One Percenters” that are decent human beings who respect the rule of law, common morality, and fair play.  Donald Trump and others in his orbit all seem to march to the beat of a different drummer and take direction from a different moral compa$$.

Money Compass

If ever you need to read about the special rules that seem to apply only to wealthy people, try this link to a recent Miami Herald investigation.  The article outlines the case of Jeffrey Epstein who repeatedly engaged in sexual activity with underage girls (as many as 80 were identified) at his waterfront Palm Beach mansion.  He got off with a comparative slap on the wrist.  

Served 13 months instead of life.
The 13 months was with work release, he only slept at the prison at night.

Epstein's wealth got him a sweetheart deal and provided his unnamed friends a free pass with no prosecution.  All of this was thanks to then-State Attorney Barry Krischer's and U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta's handling of the case with kid-gloves.  Before you ask, yes that is the same Alexander Acosta who is President Trump's Secretary of Labor and, until November 29, 2018, a possible replacement to Jeff Sessions as the Attorney General.  Also in this circus is Kenneth Starr, who led the investigation into the Clintons and Whitewater and the Monica Lewinsky scandal, who just happens to be the child molester Epstein's attorney.  

Just a few of Epstein's victims

The article also mentions Donald Trump who is accused of having sex with a thirteen-year-old girl at Epstein's mansion in Palm Beach.  The cast of characters in Epstein's world included his friends former President Bill Clinton, former national security adviser Sandy Berger, former Colombian President Andrés Pastrana, Donald Trump, Prince Andrew, Kevin Spacey, and lawyer Alan Dershowitz.  Just another example of the "finest people" and their little peccadillos.

Donald Trump and the Clintons were not always enemies.

Politics makes strange bedfellows

When it comes to Donald Trump, money is at the heart of all his decisions.  He is not concerned with the U.S. economy except as it benefits him.  The Trump Tower he has sought for almost 30 years in Russia is at the center of his soft and preferential treatment of Putin and all things Russian.  When you delve into the backgrounds of Donald Trump, Paul Manafort, Michael Cohen, Roger Stone, etc., you find people who think lying, cheating, and deception are all just part of doing business and how the game is played in their rarefied world.

All 5 of the "Finest People" Guilty

The almost daily attacks by President Trump on Mueller, his legitimate investigation, the FBI, the Department of Justice, and virtually anyone not seen as supportive of his executive-centric rule, certainly should set off alarms.  His blatant obstruction of due process should result in universal outrage.

Cries of “Witch Hunt” are an attempt by a desperate man to delegitimize any eventual findings that wend their way into the public domain.  Have we as a nation come to the point where we idolize a draft dodging self-absorbed billionaire and demonize a man who volunteered for the Marines and won a Bronze Star with “V” distinction for valor?  Mueller's medal was earned rescuing a fellow fallen soldier during a firefight that saw half of his platoon become casualties.

Donald Trump has regularly stated that he surrounds himself with the finest people.  As we now look at those “finest people”, we find that Michael Cohen, Michael Flynn, Rick Gates, Paul Manafort, George Papadopoulos, and Samuel Patten, have all pleaded guilty to crimes.  All of these indictments are products of the Mueller investigation into Trump's "finest people."  The one key individual still standing without indictment is Roger Stone who pulls all of this presidential collusion speculation together and even provides links back to President Nixon's departure from office.  The dominos are falling and Roger Stone could be the linchpin.

The Greek tragedy that is the Trump presidency, continues to be told.  The circle is ever widening and perhaps only history will be able to pull all of this together in meaningful fashion.  The fact that this story even has ties back to Watergate and includes a cast of international characters tells me, this tragic tale will be studied for years to come.  The current witch-hunt has found its fair share of witches.  I think Mueller’s broom closet will need to be enlarged.

Mueller Will Need A Bigger Broom Closet

* “Character is destiny,” is a quote attributed to the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus. This quote implies that destiny, or fate, is not a predetermined outside force, but that one's future, or destiny, is determined by his own inner character.

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The majority of people have no understanding of the things with which they daily meet, nor, when instructed, do they have any right knowledge of them, although to themselves they seem to have.  Heraclitus