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"Either this nation shall kill racism, or racism shall kill this nation." (S. Jonas, August, 2018)
"A Vote for 'ABBB' (Any Body but Biden) is a Vote for Trump and Republo-Fascism" (S. Jonas, March, 2024)
Seething?!? Of course he is. This is the first time in his life when he is in a situation that is totally out-of-his control. Which for him is the worst possible place he can be.
And. One reason that Netanyahu is pursuing his Expulsionist policy in Gaza is that he wants to stay in power and stay out of prison. One reason that Trump wants to be President again is to get the two Federal sets of charges against him dropped and stay out of prison.
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Before we get to Trump, his current trials, and the trials that he has announced he and his henchmen would put our nation through if he manages in one way or another to take over the Oval Office on Jan. 21, 2025 (notice that I did not use the word "win"), a few words about this day. As it happens, I was about 71/2 on that day and lived in a very "newsy" household. So, although I don't recall the words uttered on that day precisely, I do recall hearing of the events of the day on the radio that was constantly tuned to "the news" in mother's sitting room. (My Dad, at 34 a rather old draftee, was in the Service, already on his way to a job at OSS --- not dropping behind enemy lines --- but working as an editor of translations of captured German documents at the Office of Strategic Services [OSS, the predecessor to the CIA] in Washington.) And of course, as soon as there was film to show in the nearest "Newsreel Theater" (at Broadway and 72nd St. in New York City's Manhattan) my mother and I were off to see them.
On June 6, 1944, D-Day itself was a spectacular event, from the bravery of the men who were landed on the beaches and, by parachute, in the farmlands of Normandy above the beaches, by the work of the U.S. and Royal Navies and their merchant marines, to the remarkable feats of organization by the U.S. and U.K. General Staffs and their respective intelligence services. And of course, the D-Day success did lead to the eventual rolling up of the Nazi forces on the Western and Italian Fronts over the next 10 months.
At the same time, the significant victories of several other Allied and U.S. forces elsewhere in the African-European Theater which made the success that D-Day was should also be mentioned:
The United States forces in Operation Torch, Western North Africa, Nov. 1942 and onwards;
The combined forces of the United Kingdom in the Eastern North African desert in Nov.-Dec., 1942;
The victories of the Soviet Red Army at the Gates of Moscow (with fresh Siberian troops), Dec. 1941, for the first time stopping the Eastward German advance; at Stalingrad in Nov.-Jan. 1943; in the largest tank battle in history, at Kursk, in the Summer of 1943; and the success of the Soviet Union in holding out and eventually breaking out from the Siege of Leningrad, Sept. 1941-Jan., 1944.
And the rolling up of the Axis forces in Italy, from Sept., 1943, by the combined U.S. and British forces.
This history is taught in few schools today. As for Trump, he was likely exposed to it but just as likely has forgotten it (that is, if he ever paid any attention to it). Below, I shall also touch on a, shall we say, peculiar, comment that Trump made just the other day that refers to the "other side" in all of these battles.
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And now on to some brief comments on "Trump and his Trials" (not in any order of importance).
+ All governments have 3 basic functions: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. In the forgone monarchies as well as modern dictatorship of one kind or another (think Russia, Hungary, North Korea) the functions are combined, to a greater or lesser extent, under the control of the Executive Branch. Historically, when a nation is governed by some form of parliamentary democracy and by one means or another is converted to some form of fascism,* the first branch to go is the Independent Judiciary. The independent judiciary would likely be the first to go under a Trump Presidency. E.g., see how he and his minions are attacking the entirety of the New York State Judicial system, both criminal and civil. (As is well-known, he has been held accountable by both.)
+ Although few Trump supporters have held that he is innocent (choosing rather to attack the New York Legal System), Trump himself on more than one occasion did proclaim himself innocent (actually "very innocent." He was not asked what that term means.) However, as is well-known, Trump did not testify at his trial. Let me say that again, did not testify. If he is/was innocent, why did he just not get up on the stand and say so? There are a variety of reasons why. Most likely, his lawyer told him "absolutely not," to prevent him from possibly committing perjury to having one of his patented rage/meltdowns, on the Stand. Further, he would/could inadvertently spill the beans about what really happened, under some really good cross-examination. But the point is he did not get up on the Stand to proclaim his innocence.
+ It should be noted that few if any of his defenders have proclaimed his innocence either. They are all attacking "the system," pledging retribution, raising campaign funds, trying to stir up Republican prosecutors around the country to start criminal trials again Democratic political and judicial figures (see Steve Miller and Steve Bannon). This brings to mind an old aphorism defending the best strategy/tactics for lawyers to engage in, in court: If you don't have the facts, argue the law; If you don't have the law, argue the facts; If you have neither the facts nor the law, yell, scream, and pound the table (or in the case of the Trumpublican Party, attack the whole legal system of the United States [or at least the Jewish/Black one in New York City]).
+ On Trump and a term that he apparently made up to refer to a United States under his (?realm, ?dictatorship, but surely not Presidency, for that word does not appear in the definition of "Presidency" in the Constitution) "Unified Reich." An odd choice. By itself, the German word Reich means "realm" or "Empire" (from the days of the Habsburgs). But of course, since Hitler became Chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933, the word, in English, is most associated with "Third Reich," the term by which the Nazis referred to Germany under their rule. Could one infer that Trump would attempt to set up something like it if he is re-elected? Couldn't be. Could it?
+ Although fascism has arrived by Royal Decree (Hungary, 1920, Italy, 1922-25), war (Spain, 1936), and military coup (Japan, 1936), it has also been voted in (through a gradual takeover by the fascist forces once voted in): Nazi Germany, present day Hungary, Argentina under Peron. So yes, (hardly an original saying these days), "It Can Happen Here" (also the title of a book by Sinclair Lewis published in 1936), and the subject of a 1996 book published by yours truly, and as many of you know, being serialized on these very pages, "The 15% Solution."
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