Face of a Bully

Free press, free speech, right of assembly. These three make life difficult for those disagreeing with the messages offered. In a free society, the method of persuasion is logic and more free speech. Education helps, too. Free speech is always assisted with an open mind that is hungry for learning new facts. Facts; not fiction. Not pretend reality, but the real thing.

Throughout life I have encountered bullies. I am gay. Always have been, evidently. One doesn’t know this until its reality is made clear to the person. But others may sense it and use that difference as a point to bully the other person. I was the other person. I know what it is like to be bullied, and fear bullying.

I have observed bullies have a thin depth of thinking. Reality to them is what they perceive, not what is proven fact. They dislike difference. They need to feel superior to others. They seek differences so they feel superior. This is the pivot point of bullying.

We see bullying in full view these days. It is reported in the news media. Here are the examples:

·        President gets pushback from former leaders and experts in the intelligence community; he has no power over them, so he exercises what he can to shut down the negative information. He rescinds their access to intelligence information entirely. What he cannot turn off is their learned opinions based on deep experience

·        President accused of sexual philandering and inappropriate behavior toward women? Call the accusers ‘dogs’ and shame them in the coarsest of ways; message: don’t mess with me, I’ll return the favor 10-fold

·        Mexico didn’t pay to build a border wall? Threaten Democrats in Congress with a government shutdown if they don’t approve the budget for the wall. So far this tactic hasn’t worked. Shifting blame from self to others is not a convincing strategy

·        Can’t get the wall built? Mess up all other operations in the immigration agency’s machinery. Separate children from parents; deport parents without their children out of spite; disallow asylum seekers due process as guaranteed by our laws; detain kids and adults in jail-like facilities to dissuade others from making the trek to our borders; and as a last resort, demean all immigrants as no-good low lifes

·        Press actively reporting the Russia Collusion investigation? Demean all the players in that investigation and toss shoddy accusations at it constantly. Even hire attorneys to provide misleading legal ‘opinions’ as fact. Mislead over and over again.

·        Want to distract from one problem by creating another? Blur the lines separating Church and State. Rattle the cages of ideologues. Watch them squirm. Watch them moderate views to lessen the pressure.

Enough examples. The emperor has no clothes. His intent is clear. He is a bully. To get his way. Like he always has, from childhood throughout adulthood. Wealth has its privileges even when the wealth is questionable and at times quite iffy.

The president is a fraud as a president and as a person. He is in clear view as such.

The only question left, is what to do about it?

August 21, 2018