Readers of this blog will recall I often bring up the matter of President Trump's claim his residence was bugged by Obama during the election. My concern is usually put this way: How did he "find out" he'd been wiretapped?
(I keep asking because he doesn't seem to know. Remember, the point of these posts is to illustrate my contention that humans unknowingly act on mostly faulty knowledge.)
I've had some additional thoughts on the subject.
Originally, Trump pointed in several directions, to newspaper articles he'd read, but nothing panned out. Members of the intelligence community piped up to say Obama could not have done what Trump claimed.
Later, a congressman investigating the matter came to Trump with information that foreign nationals had been tapped by the CIA (or NSA) and that those recordings had picked up anonymous American citizens, folks now "unmasked" as Trump and/or his people.
Asked if that report validated his position, Trump said, "It somewhat does."
That vague notion seems to have morphed into "strong proof" of his position by the time John Dickerson interviewed Trump in the Oval Office.
But what if the whole matter has been inverted? What if the report of American subjects inadvertently picked up in the tapping of foreign nationals was the original source of the "wiretapping" story?
If someone played a tape or showed you a transcript of a tape where you and some other guy were talking, you might conclude—incorrectly, in this case—that your phone was the one tapped, not the other guy's.
Had Trump come across such a report months ago? And if so, from whom?
Was Trump's inability to identify the source of the story actually a clumsy attempt to hide the real source?
(A report from the CIA would make a pretty solid basis for the balls-to-the-wall outrage Trump exhibited in his original Tweet.)
The thing is, unmasking American citizens after the Tweet about wiretapping might be a lot more legitimate (and legal) than the same action performed before the Tweet—performed, say, by a supporter as a heads-up to Trump that he and/or his people had been recorded.
Folks, it runs to the heart of the Trump presidency: Is the man an idiot, or is he merely pretending to be an idiot—as a smokescreen to mask his nefarious actions?
We'll probably have to wait for the inevitable impeachment hearings to find out.
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Monday, May 29, 2017
QUESTIONS FOR POTUS
Donald J. Trump probably thinks of himself as a straight-shooter and a go-getter. Odd, then, that he appears to operate on a roadbed of uncertainty. Important matters go unanswered, and he doesn't seem to be aware of that.
So, in the spirit of getting things cleared up, I have some questions for the President:
1. How did you "find out" you'd been wiretapped by Obama?
2. Which was the lie, that you don't sexually assault women, or that you do?
3. Where are your tax returns?
4. Is the Oval Office bugged or not?
5. Is lying all the time a political strategy or are you unaware you're doing it?
6. Have you considered giving rich people a tax break when they build a factory in the US, and not just giving them a bunch of money in the hope they'll use it to do something nice for the country?
7. Do you genuinely believe the mainstream media is making up all those stories you don't like?
8. Despite your chest-pounding announcement, are you convinced Barack Obama really was born in the US?
9. Are you aware Twitter can be seen outside the country?
10. Do you believe the US landed men on the Moon?
The President may not have an answer for many of these questions. He may think he's already made himself completely clear.
For instance, it hardly matters how he "found out" Trump Tower had been wiretapped, because in Trump's mind there now exists "strong proof" his assertion is true.
And he knows for a fact only a handful of so-called reporters give a damn about seeing his tax returns. His core supporters probably think the question impertinent.
For a "self-made" billionaire, Trump sure whines a lot about folks treating him unfairly. This suggests he really does think those people are lying about him and his family.
Consider the Jared Kushner situation. It would be normal for a father-in-law to support his daughter's husband, saying something like, "I know that boy and he would never do anything wrong."
A ridiculous statement, of course. Nobody really knows what another person is capable of doing. But a strong denial is boilerplate stuff. It's expected.
Has anybody ever been accused of some nasty crime where his mom didn't get in front of a camera and vigorously deny his guilt? Sure, they're almost always wrong, but we're used to hearing them say it.
What you're not likely to hear: "The police have not accused my son of breaking any law. The TV people are making it all up."
But that's what you get from Trump.
The man treats Twitter as if it were a news feed that goes directly to his supporters—and nowhere else. The concept of #FakeNews might fly with dedicated Trump-Heads, but readers outside the US are likely to view such statements as delusional. Which is pretty scary.
Can foreign leaders hope to work with a crazy man?
For now, I guess they'll have to.
So, in the spirit of getting things cleared up, I have some questions for the President:
1. How did you "find out" you'd been wiretapped by Obama?
2. Which was the lie, that you don't sexually assault women, or that you do?
3. Where are your tax returns?
4. Is the Oval Office bugged or not?
5. Is lying all the time a political strategy or are you unaware you're doing it?
6. Have you considered giving rich people a tax break when they build a factory in the US, and not just giving them a bunch of money in the hope they'll use it to do something nice for the country?
7. Do you genuinely believe the mainstream media is making up all those stories you don't like?
8. Despite your chest-pounding announcement, are you convinced Barack Obama really was born in the US?
9. Are you aware Twitter can be seen outside the country?
10. Do you believe the US landed men on the Moon?
The President may not have an answer for many of these questions. He may think he's already made himself completely clear.
For instance, it hardly matters how he "found out" Trump Tower had been wiretapped, because in Trump's mind there now exists "strong proof" his assertion is true.
And he knows for a fact only a handful of so-called reporters give a damn about seeing his tax returns. His core supporters probably think the question impertinent.
For a "self-made" billionaire, Trump sure whines a lot about folks treating him unfairly. This suggests he really does think those people are lying about him and his family.
Consider the Jared Kushner situation. It would be normal for a father-in-law to support his daughter's husband, saying something like, "I know that boy and he would never do anything wrong."
A ridiculous statement, of course. Nobody really knows what another person is capable of doing. But a strong denial is boilerplate stuff. It's expected.
Has anybody ever been accused of some nasty crime where his mom didn't get in front of a camera and vigorously deny his guilt? Sure, they're almost always wrong, but we're used to hearing them say it.
What you're not likely to hear: "The police have not accused my son of breaking any law. The TV people are making it all up."
But that's what you get from Trump.
The man treats Twitter as if it were a news feed that goes directly to his supporters—and nowhere else. The concept of #FakeNews might fly with dedicated Trump-Heads, but readers outside the US are likely to view such statements as delusional. Which is pretty scary.
Can foreign leaders hope to work with a crazy man?
For now, I guess they'll have to.
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
DESIGNATED SHOWBOAT
Like they say in that movie, "There can be only one!"
Apparently Donald Trump can't stand any threat of competition for the official role of "showboat" in Washington.
Consequently, James Comey had to go.
I suppose it's just a bonus this action will derail the whole Russia investigation.
Or at least, Trump appears to have been hoping that might be the result. (He hinted as much to the Russians in the Oval Office, talking about the pressure being off after he fired the "nut job.")
But the best laid plans come apart when you least expect. Wheels fly off, and you land in a ditch. Upside down and on fire.
This time, Trump's own Department of Justice tossed a spanner into the woodpile, appointing a former FBI director to be special counsel.
Ah, Donald. Look, the poor man does what he can to appear presidential. The problem is, he just doesn't have it in him.
It's a matter of control. The man has none.
He will do anything, say anything, make any claim, take any stance, regardless of the consequences. Anything that makes him look good or somebody else look bad.
Preferably both.
Trump literally doesn't seem to know what words mean.
In Saudi Arabia he delivered a speech saying the fight against radical Islam was a fight of Good versus Evil. Implying certain deeply religious men are evil when they act according to their honest interpretation of the Holy Quran.
Actually, this has a small chance of flying because Trump's pointing at right at Iran, a bitter enemy of the Saudis. Iran represents Shia Islam (which some Islamic Web sites don't even count as a legitimate branch of the religion).
But ISIS is of the majority Sunni branch, like Saudi Arabia, so Trump's message becomes garbled.
It's a minefield of religious nonsense—a minefield at the bottom of an ocean of spilled blood.
(Global Warming will probably raise the level of that ocean, too.)
Trump trundles on to Jerusalem, pokes his arm into a crack in the Wailing Wall. Reaching out for God's help? Maybe he was hoping God would grab his hand and yank him out of this nasty world and into a better one.
Because meanwhile, back home, the Russian thing keeps on keeping on, tickling at the edges of the West Wing. Michael Flynn's pleading the Fifth. Comey's on his way in to testify. Connections between Trump's campaign and Russia are multiplying like minks.
Time for Trump to say something outrageous on Twitter, don't you think?
Apparently Donald Trump can't stand any threat of competition for the official role of "showboat" in Washington.
Consequently, James Comey had to go.
I suppose it's just a bonus this action will derail the whole Russia investigation.
Or at least, Trump appears to have been hoping that might be the result. (He hinted as much to the Russians in the Oval Office, talking about the pressure being off after he fired the "nut job.")
But the best laid plans come apart when you least expect. Wheels fly off, and you land in a ditch. Upside down and on fire.
This time, Trump's own Department of Justice tossed a spanner into the woodpile, appointing a former FBI director to be special counsel.
Ah, Donald. Look, the poor man does what he can to appear presidential. The problem is, he just doesn't have it in him.
It's a matter of control. The man has none.
He will do anything, say anything, make any claim, take any stance, regardless of the consequences. Anything that makes him look good or somebody else look bad.
Preferably both.
Trump literally doesn't seem to know what words mean.
In Saudi Arabia he delivered a speech saying the fight against radical Islam was a fight of Good versus Evil. Implying certain deeply religious men are evil when they act according to their honest interpretation of the Holy Quran.
Actually, this has a small chance of flying because Trump's pointing at right at Iran, a bitter enemy of the Saudis. Iran represents Shia Islam (which some Islamic Web sites don't even count as a legitimate branch of the religion).
But ISIS is of the majority Sunni branch, like Saudi Arabia, so Trump's message becomes garbled.
It's a minefield of religious nonsense—a minefield at the bottom of an ocean of spilled blood.
(Global Warming will probably raise the level of that ocean, too.)
Trump trundles on to Jerusalem, pokes his arm into a crack in the Wailing Wall. Reaching out for God's help? Maybe he was hoping God would grab his hand and yank him out of this nasty world and into a better one.
Because meanwhile, back home, the Russian thing keeps on keeping on, tickling at the edges of the West Wing. Michael Flynn's pleading the Fifth. Comey's on his way in to testify. Connections between Trump's campaign and Russia are multiplying like minks.
Time for Trump to say something outrageous on Twitter, don't you think?
Thursday, May 18, 2017
UNFAIR!
Donald Trump claims he's being treated unfairly. He knows this because he sees himself being criticized for the stuff he does and says, stuff he knows to be perfectly good and in no way subject to criticism.
How did he come to this conclusion? Easy—he's human.
Humans know everything—including the unknowable—and literally can't be wrong.
We know things with the omniscience of gods because our brains lie to us. The little gray cells edit our view of the world in order to present unassailable proof that everything in our heads is golden.
We can't be wrong—by definition. If it's in our heads, it must be true—otherwise, what the hell is it doing in our heads?
(Don't worry, our sycophantic brains have vetted this logic and found it perfect.)
Trump tells a graduating class that when you get push-back from your jealous enemies, you need to put your head down and charge forward. Keep going on the path you know to be right.
Or, as Davy Crockett famously said, "When you're sure your right, then go ahead!"
But human beings always know they're right.
Too bad going ahead in the face of our genetic idiocy often means walking a path of blood.
Usually somebody else's blood.
Maybe it would be okay if every bloody path led immediately to the death of the guy marching forward. Start out and die right away, see? Saving the lives of countless innocent bystanders.
But it doesn't work that way. We tend to preserve our own lives at all cost. We may grieve over collateral damage, but we dismiss it as necessary to vital success.
The things we do, need doing—for the good of all. Let the historians count up the bodies—and exonerate our actions. We know they will!
Donald Trump has a lot of confidence that he knows what he's doing. He knows his supporters love him, and he's right. Polls have shown nearly everybody who voted for him would do it again.
(Give the devil his due, the man is one hell of a campaigner.)
Problem is, the skills needed to get elected are far different from those of governing.
In his privileged life, Trump has always been able to scream at someone to do something and get that thing done. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way in government.
Sympathetic critics noted that newly elected President Eisenhower was going to find Washington a lot different from the army. A general can issue orders and get instant results.
Same with a rich guy.
Obey the general or end up in the stockade. Please the rich guy or get fired, maybe blackballed in the industry of your choice.
People with a lot of confidence trust themselves to figure out what to do. Trump is famous for trusting his own judgment over that of others.
The problem is, his judgment is flawed.
He'll say anything to get the approbation of the crowd. That works great at a political rally, where all but a rowdy handful are rabidly adoring.
In the Oval Office, in front of Russian officials, Trump is likely to blurt out anything that makes him look important. What's the point of being an insider if you can't rub it into the faces of your companions?
Trump blurts stuff out. He goes off script. He makes ridiculous promises. He assures folks everything will turn out fine if they'll just trust him.
Is that so much to ask?
After all, he's the President of the United States of America, elected in the greatest landslide of all time—once all the votes are properly adjudicated.
Not that long ago the man "found out" he'd been wiretapped by Obama, a matter that—in Trump's mind—has been proven true by independent sources.
A certain level of fallout drifted down from this bombshell of information.
But it'll be nothing compared to the crapstorm coming when Trump "finds out" the situation in North Korea has reached the point where his only option is to nuke the place in the next 24 hours.
And there is no way we can be sure he won't "find out" dangerous stuff like this.
And expeditiously act on his excellent new knowledge, confident he'll be vindicated in the histories of our age written by future cockroaches.
How did he come to this conclusion? Easy—he's human.
Humans know everything—including the unknowable—and literally can't be wrong.
We know things with the omniscience of gods because our brains lie to us. The little gray cells edit our view of the world in order to present unassailable proof that everything in our heads is golden.
We can't be wrong—by definition. If it's in our heads, it must be true—otherwise, what the hell is it doing in our heads?
(Don't worry, our sycophantic brains have vetted this logic and found it perfect.)
Trump tells a graduating class that when you get push-back from your jealous enemies, you need to put your head down and charge forward. Keep going on the path you know to be right.
Or, as Davy Crockett famously said, "When you're sure your right, then go ahead!"
But human beings always know they're right.
Too bad going ahead in the face of our genetic idiocy often means walking a path of blood.
Usually somebody else's blood.
Maybe it would be okay if every bloody path led immediately to the death of the guy marching forward. Start out and die right away, see? Saving the lives of countless innocent bystanders.
But it doesn't work that way. We tend to preserve our own lives at all cost. We may grieve over collateral damage, but we dismiss it as necessary to vital success.
The things we do, need doing—for the good of all. Let the historians count up the bodies—and exonerate our actions. We know they will!
Donald Trump has a lot of confidence that he knows what he's doing. He knows his supporters love him, and he's right. Polls have shown nearly everybody who voted for him would do it again.
(Give the devil his due, the man is one hell of a campaigner.)
Problem is, the skills needed to get elected are far different from those of governing.
In his privileged life, Trump has always been able to scream at someone to do something and get that thing done. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way in government.
Sympathetic critics noted that newly elected President Eisenhower was going to find Washington a lot different from the army. A general can issue orders and get instant results.
Same with a rich guy.
Obey the general or end up in the stockade. Please the rich guy or get fired, maybe blackballed in the industry of your choice.
People with a lot of confidence trust themselves to figure out what to do. Trump is famous for trusting his own judgment over that of others.
The problem is, his judgment is flawed.
He'll say anything to get the approbation of the crowd. That works great at a political rally, where all but a rowdy handful are rabidly adoring.
In the Oval Office, in front of Russian officials, Trump is likely to blurt out anything that makes him look important. What's the point of being an insider if you can't rub it into the faces of your companions?
Trump blurts stuff out. He goes off script. He makes ridiculous promises. He assures folks everything will turn out fine if they'll just trust him.
Is that so much to ask?
After all, he's the President of the United States of America, elected in the greatest landslide of all time—once all the votes are properly adjudicated.
Not that long ago the man "found out" he'd been wiretapped by Obama, a matter that—in Trump's mind—has been proven true by independent sources.
A certain level of fallout drifted down from this bombshell of information.
But it'll be nothing compared to the crapstorm coming when Trump "finds out" the situation in North Korea has reached the point where his only option is to nuke the place in the next 24 hours.
And there is no way we can be sure he won't "find out" dangerous stuff like this.
And expeditiously act on his excellent new knowledge, confident he'll be vindicated in the histories of our age written by future cockroaches.
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
MR. TRUMP STANDS BY NOTHING
A few days ago President Trump was interviewed in the Oval Office by CBS White House Correspondent John Dickerson, host of "Face the Nation."
Some odd stuff came out.
You may recall a month or so before, when Trump promised some amazing stuff would come "to the forefront" in the "wire tapping" case. He said we'd only have to wait two weeks, but as far as I know, nothing surfaced.
But maybe those pesky network Fake News people suppressed that corroborating information, because Trump is now convinced his case has been "proven very strongly."
The matter came up when Dickerson asked if Trump had been in contact with Obama, maybe gotten some advice on how to be president. Trump said their initial meeting had been nice and all, but that since then they'd had some difficulties.
"You saw what happened with surveillance," he said.
Exactly. Obama behaving very badly, wiretapping Trump Tower and so forth. Bad (or sick) man, that Obama.
Asked if he stood by that statement (concerning wiretapping), Trump said: "I stand by nothing."
Further pressed, Trump said surveillance was a "very big topic." He said we need to find out what the hell is going on.
Asked for his opinion on that, Trump repeatedly backed off, saying: "You can figure it out for yourself."
Pressed again, Trump abruptly ended the interview. He went to his desk and began studying some documents there.
Dickerson just grinned.
Trump's opinion about surveillance appears to be the opposite of the intelligence community, which found no evidence Trump or his people had been tapped.
But the man knows what he knows, right?
(Remember, it is the inalienable right of each human being to know everything, including the unknowable.)
Perhaps Trump took as proof the possibility some of his people had been inadvertently caught up in the monitoring of foreign nationals. Not at all the same thing, of course, but any port in a storm.
The whole idea of wiretapping has been established as a fact in his mind ever since he "found out" several months ago. We still don't know how.
And neither does Trump, apparently.
More bizarre stuff: Trump talking about President Andrew Jackson's opposition to the Civil War (though the man had died some 16 years before it started). Trump asking the question no one else dared: Why was there a Civil War?
(Interestingly, Jackson won the electoral college in 1824, but failed to have a majority in the popular vote. The House of Representatives chose the runner-up, John Quincy Adams, to be President. Old Hickory won outright in 1828 and '32.)
Trump on North Korea, sympathizing with Kim Jong Un, saying he'd be "honored" to meet the man face to face.
(Would that meeting take place before or after the nuclear Armageddon Kim has promised?)
Donald Trump has a lot on his mind. For instance, the fact he'd actually been elected President seems an area of endless fascination. And he's obsessed with ticking off his campaign promises, demonstrating he's at least trying to get things done.
He got SCOTUS running again at full capacity. That's something, right?
Trump obviously loved the unquestioning adoration he got on the campaign trail. So much so, he has already started the 2020 campaign, attending rallies and so forth. He even put out a campaign commercial.
Trump may have an approval rating of 41%, but he can still pack a room with screaming fans.
I'm reminded of the recent graduate in GOODBYE, COLUMBUS, the young man holed up in his childhood bedroom, pining away for the glory of his college days.
Has Trump similarly come un-cottered? Could be bad for us if he has. Bad, in fact, for the entire world.
Some odd stuff came out.
You may recall a month or so before, when Trump promised some amazing stuff would come "to the forefront" in the "wire tapping" case. He said we'd only have to wait two weeks, but as far as I know, nothing surfaced.
But maybe those pesky network Fake News people suppressed that corroborating information, because Trump is now convinced his case has been "proven very strongly."
The matter came up when Dickerson asked if Trump had been in contact with Obama, maybe gotten some advice on how to be president. Trump said their initial meeting had been nice and all, but that since then they'd had some difficulties.
"You saw what happened with surveillance," he said.
Exactly. Obama behaving very badly, wiretapping Trump Tower and so forth. Bad (or sick) man, that Obama.
Asked if he stood by that statement (concerning wiretapping), Trump said: "I stand by nothing."
Further pressed, Trump said surveillance was a "very big topic." He said we need to find out what the hell is going on.
Asked for his opinion on that, Trump repeatedly backed off, saying: "You can figure it out for yourself."
Pressed again, Trump abruptly ended the interview. He went to his desk and began studying some documents there.
Dickerson just grinned.
Trump's opinion about surveillance appears to be the opposite of the intelligence community, which found no evidence Trump or his people had been tapped.
But the man knows what he knows, right?
(Remember, it is the inalienable right of each human being to know everything, including the unknowable.)
Perhaps Trump took as proof the possibility some of his people had been inadvertently caught up in the monitoring of foreign nationals. Not at all the same thing, of course, but any port in a storm.
The whole idea of wiretapping has been established as a fact in his mind ever since he "found out" several months ago. We still don't know how.
And neither does Trump, apparently.
More bizarre stuff: Trump talking about President Andrew Jackson's opposition to the Civil War (though the man had died some 16 years before it started). Trump asking the question no one else dared: Why was there a Civil War?
(Interestingly, Jackson won the electoral college in 1824, but failed to have a majority in the popular vote. The House of Representatives chose the runner-up, John Quincy Adams, to be President. Old Hickory won outright in 1828 and '32.)
Trump on North Korea, sympathizing with Kim Jong Un, saying he'd be "honored" to meet the man face to face.
(Would that meeting take place before or after the nuclear Armageddon Kim has promised?)
Donald Trump has a lot on his mind. For instance, the fact he'd actually been elected President seems an area of endless fascination. And he's obsessed with ticking off his campaign promises, demonstrating he's at least trying to get things done.
He got SCOTUS running again at full capacity. That's something, right?
Trump obviously loved the unquestioning adoration he got on the campaign trail. So much so, he has already started the 2020 campaign, attending rallies and so forth. He even put out a campaign commercial.
Trump may have an approval rating of 41%, but he can still pack a room with screaming fans.
I'm reminded of the recent graduate in GOODBYE, COLUMBUS, the young man holed up in his childhood bedroom, pining away for the glory of his college days.
Has Trump similarly come un-cottered? Could be bad for us if he has. Bad, in fact, for the entire world.
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