Trump Blind

How can Trump supporters not see Trump for who he is? It took some very gullible misinformed, disinformed, low information people to elect him and now, to still listen to him. to be fair, many of us are low information people. Today's life is all about lots of information at very shallow degrees of dissemination. We are today, the most educated, best informed, and yet most ignorant people in human history.

Whether it's a massive need to switch to vote by mail-in ballot, or to social distance while some protest it, America is a morass of confusion, aided by Pres. Donald Trump.

Let me share this incredibly well-stated article I heard of from one of my favorite actors for decades now, John Cusack, from Fintan O'Toole from The Irish Times:

THE WORLD HAS LOVED, HATED AND ENVIED THE US, NOW, FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE PITY IT. - Fintan O'Toole: Irish Times 25/04/2020

Filters. Trump is adept at getting people to use filters of his own sad design.

Conman. Mesmer. Donald Trump.A new American disease brought on by a longer-term conservative and Republican disease.

Do NOT get me wrong. We NEED a Republican party. We need a representative for the conservative voices in America. But we do NOT need THIS defective faux democratic lobbyist's dream for big money and power-grabbing at any and all costs to not just America but their own base. A base mostly of middle and lower economic classes, but seen to the party as the big and rich and powerful. The party is there to support business, big business because that's where they see the money and power are.

I'm really now seeing it as Trumpblindness. We have heard Trump cult followers label anyone shoving facts, reality, or truth about Trump in their faces as victims of TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome), which does not exist.

Which actually is Trump Delusional Syndrome in never seeing Trump do anything wrong and any facts about him showering light and truth about him as "Fake News". TDS does not exist on Trump opponent's side, but the other TDS most assuredly does. We've all seen it.

As for Trump Derangement Syndrome, it could really be referred to as Trump Dissemination Syndrome as people angered justly about how Trump acts, try very hard, and passionately to share the facts about Trump, which his supporters turn a blind set of eyes and ears and mind into the darkness. Yes, when people do that, and it's dire, it's frustrating and angry invoking, but in a deranged fashion but in a rational and justified fashion.

It's as if someone is attacking your neighborhood, lying about it, claiming those trying to stop it are actually doing it, and those who are trying to stop the attacks are being called deranged, and liars, as at they watch more and more damage and irrational behaviors. That SHOULD make you angry, that should invoke action! But how is it deranged? And how are those ignoring reality NOT deranged?

This is a religious near-cult style belief system. Why is this happening? What is going on?

Trump has been supported by some church organizations. Trump has paid them back for their support. Their foolish and yet productive support. Why has he turned so Christian when he is obviously not, even by his own supposed "Paster's" comments.

What is all that about? No one has known. I have however talked about this kind of thing before. I've talked about many of these things involved with American Evangelical Christianity and Mega Churches and the Republican party and the past few years, Donald Trump. But I never quite put them all together as well as one person has in her book.

I highly recommend anyone interested in this, in what's been going on, WATCH this video interview from C-SPAN 2 with Katherine Stewart. It's a real eye-opener.

Katherine Stewart

The Power Worshippers

Journalist Katherine Stewart argued that religious nationalists are waging political war on American democracy and institutions. This was a virtual author program.

This information may well stun and shock you. It's a real eye-opener, It's not conspiracy theories. It's not Fake News. It's not TDS. It's reality. I'll also bet many who watch this will also have a feeling of epiphany. "This makes so much sense! Finally!"

 Like I said, I've been sharing this information for years. I just never put it together like this until now. My first blog on this Christian connection goes all the way back to 2015! It actually goes back even further to I think 2011. I started this blog in 2010 and I know I was talking about it even before that.

There is a video with Trump and Acosta which is pretty much a Trump training film. You can see the good questions. You can see how Trump answered them in such a way so as to give his believers, and this is a near-religious belief, offering them just the basics of plausible deniability so they can go wait, what? OH, OK, we're good and yeah, Jim, what kind of question was that. Why are you the creep? ETC.

NOTE how Trump in this video never answers the question, he deflects, he blames, he bullies and turns things around. But doesn't face his own reality.

It's really a good study in this kind of delusion, forced delusion, desired delusion, evangelical power implementation. Confidence work (as in conman). I really wouldn't say Trump's a pro, but an Adept. Trump really isn't a genius, but is very functional as a one-trick pony of sorts.

It's an interesting confluence of disorders and abuse. Trump uses his natural propensity as a bully, along with his narcissism which sucks people into a kind of Trump reality bubble. If you've ever been around those people, ti's amazing and disturbing. At times, frightening.

You become delusional with the person. Until you walk away leaving their realm of influence and you wonder, what were you thinking? With Trump as president remotely manipulating... some people never get that chance to walk away.

Plus, it's simply the Republican culture. The conservative culture. That bubble where, when the needle approaches to prick that manufactured reality, to deflate it, those inside the bubble simply say their mantra of "Fake News" and move on feeling catharsis and having neutralized the reality invading their dream.

And we're dealing with the syndrome of victims of the authoritarian personality.

Others bang their head on the wall because in talking to Trump supporters it's like talking to someone who is drugged, insane, or completely unaware of reality. Or simply incapable of seeing anything Trump did wrong. You see, Trump never does anything wrong. For one thing, he tells you he never does anything wrong. How can he say that and it not be true? Right?

Here's a book by a retired professor of psychology that is very interesting. It may help YOU from going nuts too, albeit in a completely different way.

Why do Trump’s supporters stand by him, no matter what? Read, The Authoritarians, by Bob Altemeyer, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
Trump offers things people want, lies, or not. Trump lies are easier and massive, and as has been documented, very well used and abused. Desperate people cling to them. Something that, thanks to the GOP who for years now, has built up an environment that was ripe for a Donald Trump.

For a conman who took over their party and forced it to devolved ever further, ever faster into whatever Trump wanted, and needed. In Republican efforts to slow down, and kill progress, ni our not having the advancements and money we need, people have become desperate. In the "frog in a boiling pot" way then haven't really noticed, until so far underwater, they see no hope.

The lies from a Republican party, The "Grand Old Party' who people once trusted. A party that people used to be able to trust. But no longer.

We've been completely set up for this.

I don't think it's a conspiracy. I think it's a lot of greedy, self-interested people following a questionable faux conservative ideology, who came together and set the stage, one step at a time, never looking much forward, for a leader, unknowingly for a conman, a Donald Trump if you will, who would be attracted to this situation, so very obvious to the right person.

"OMG," Trump said, "there are all these 'marks', a country full of easily fleeced people, begging to be ripped off, and they would be so damn easy to fleece. AND they would THANK me for ripping them off!"

And so we have and are seeing it, daily, right before our eyes. So obviously none of his supporters can believe it, or anything like it is happening...TO THEM. While the rest of us watch in wonder and disbelief and it happens again, and again and again. Then they turn to us and say, "You are really so very stupid. Ignorant. Low Information people." Really? We are? I'm so glad to know that finally. Thank you, so very much.

Just as some bad guys are attracted to certain women, and those women to them who life has pushed them into being victims who then become victimized. It's not unique, it's not a surprise. Only to those involved. Yet, not always. And yet, they become victimized again.

Welcome to Trump America, today.

I'm serious here, there will be white papers and doctorate thesis about this situation for many decades to come. Hindsight consideration about this time in American history will be exemplified by a very serious disbelief that any of this could ever have happened. And yet it has. We''re living in it right now.

And it has happened before. It most likely will again.

We are human beings, you see.

Strange Angel... and the rest

So. kind of...SPOILER.Strange series, so...strange blog today.

I watched the last episode of Strange Angel. It's been an interesting two seasons that went in a direction I didn't see coming at first. Hard to believe how much I know about so much of this and entirely somehow missed some of the most interesting aspects of it. And then some.

I wasn't sure about this show until I realized that one of my lifetime favorite film directors, Ridley Scott was involved. So, I checked it out. It's certainly, well done, entertaining, disturbing, challenging at times and unusual. I first learned of Ridley as many did, with his release of maybe my favorite sci-fi film, Blade Runner. Because of that great film (and on the controversy of the two versions of the film, I love them both for different reasons),

I started following the late great actor Rutger Hauer after that film, too. Eventually, I got to interact with him online years later. At one point I was selected to be in a special book of fiction stories after he chose one of mine he said "had heart" (which was why I chose it) an said that was how he chose his film roles also.

There is more to that story but not for here. Besides, I've addressed it elsewhere. I looked back into Rutger's filmography and watched all his first films. Which led me to his first film, Turkish Delight, and another favorite director and friend of his, Paul Verhoeven (who eventually got to Hollywood to do Robocop and other top films). Which led mt to Paul's film, The 4th Man. Which led mt to actor, Jeroen Krabbé. And so it goes on.

I also went back to Ridley's first film, one of my top favorite period piece, The Duellists, with some great actors, Keith Carridine, Harvey Keitel, and others. Love that film. And now apparently Ridley's new project, "Blade Runner: Black Lotus", an anime TV series. Sadly, I'm not a fan of anime or cartoons as much as say, my adult children are.

All that being said now, and I'm trying to drag this out considering the spoiler so there's some text at the top here before it hits...

I did not know that sci fi author and founder of a ridiculous "religious" that has evolved into a monster... L Ron Hubbard. I read him as a child. I had no idea he had anything to do with Aleister Crowely's Thelema or Jack Parsons. Or that L Ron got his idea for starting a "religion" from Crowely. I remember reading I think it was his contemporary, Isaac Asimov saying when he and other Golden Age sci fi writers heard L Ron was going into the religion business, they all had to laugh about it. It's no joke now. A joke morphed into a ridiculous problem today.

But that explains so very damn much about the blight that is Scientology. Not that it's any more ridiculous than the conman Joeseph Smith founded and ridiculously named, Church of Latter-Day Saints, the Mormons.

I first read L Ron in the 1960s as a kid. I had to laugh, as I said, as many of his sci-fi author contemporaries did when I discovered years ago he had founded a ridiculous faux "religion" who eventually blackmailed their way into being a registered, "legitimate" US Government recognized religion and thus, tax-exempt.

Ludicrous. As are most churches in general, in being tax-exempt anymore. Especially with those who get into politics, who abuse our politics, who push politics when they are supposed to be focused on non-material issues of the mind and spirit. Which mostly is untrue and we have far better ways to deal with reality in these ethereal issues than make-believe pie in the sky anachronistic models from ancient and more ignorant times. But that is another matter for another time and one I've addressed many times before.

Scientology uses some pretty basic psychological principles and can be useful... up to a point. The point at which it turns into a ridiculous con, or a cult, or a money-making machine like many religions or churches and mega-churches, and even more so under recent Scientology leadership.

Like charleton and conman, David Miscavige, in the best sense of a Donald Trump, conman. If Trump goes into religion, we're screwed. At least his followers would be, much as they are now in a political sense. But again, another matter for another time that I've addressed many times before.

As with religion in general, you can always do far better using tried and true established psychological principals. Not to be fair that there are any set up in a church, congregant format to fully replace much of what a church would give you in the social aspects. So perhaps it is a moot point. But the far better potential is still there.

And anyone putting themselves between a person and an ethereal power is subject to abuse and being corrupted as power tends to do. More easily with some than others, more easily in some organizational formats than others.

But if you get the right therapist, and they are to be sure difficult to land on one who matches up with what you need they are far more useful to a human being. Applying therapy as a therapist, after the basics in helping a client, really is an art to apply. Too many practice it as rote and mechanical, when in reality it should be and is a fine art of psychological enhancement and self-actualization.

Getting back to old L. Ron Hubbard:
From Thelemapedia
"Lafayette Ron Hubbard was born in Tilden, Nebraska on 13 March 1911. He is better known as L. Ron Hubbard (and often referred to by his followers as LRH), was an American pulp fiction author and the founder of the Church of Scientology."

"While being discharged from the Navy, Hubbard met up with Jack Parsons in Pasadena, California. He started to read the works and writings of Aleister Crowley and started to engage with Parsons in various magickal practices.

"L. Ron Hubbard died in 1986. The autopsy revealed that he had Vistaril, a prescription anti-psychotic drug, injected into his butt. Before the coroner could do a more complete autopsy, the Church of Scientology took possession of his body, cremated him and buried him at sea."

About that last:

Hubbard suffered further ill-health, including chronic pancreatitis, during his residence at Whispering Winds. He suffered a stroke on January 17, 1986, and died a week later.[263][276] His body was cremated and the ashes were scattered at sea.[277] Scientology leaders announced that his body had become an impediment to his work and that he had decided to "drop his body" to continue his research on another planet,[278] having "learned how to do it without a body".[279]

Who should not take Vistaril?
low amount of magnesium in the blood.
low amount of potassium in the blood.
wide-angle glaucoma.
closed angle glaucoma.
a heart attack.
prolonged QT interval on EKG.
chronic heart failure.
abnormal EKG with QT changes from birth.

So...was Hubbard murdered? Probably.

Who would have done it?

Pretty obvious really...

As for Strange Angel? Watch it yourself.

It is if nothing else, still a Ridley Scott production.

Path to Sanity Again in America

Conservatives have no place whatsoever being in control of America. Really, it's a worst-case scenario. Their death grip on the throat of America, cannot be allowed ever again. The tools they use for the management of their people is fear. Their policies are regressive. Isolationist. Backward.

They deregulate regulations in place to protect all American citizens, and our environment, our water, and air. They which to protect the corporations who gather more profit if they can give little thought to those things so important to the perpetuation of the human species overall.

Let me be clear though. Progressives, liberals also shouldn't be in control of America. Because America was designed to have both sides work in tandem, to come to a middle ground, to compromises, and that is the honing of the sharp knife that is our government.

But as it is, we are defective. Back in the 1990s after the loss to Bill Clinton for the presidency, Republicans took stock. Newt Gingrich started subverting how Congress worked, unintentionally with the aide of the new cable network C-SPAN. He saw it, how it worked and weaponized it against the Democratic party of America. 

People like this, professional politicians and lobbyists, are very close to what they do. It becomes a game, or more serious and a belief that, "Our ideology has to beat your ideology!" It morphs into a competition, which it always is, to be sure. But an all-out cold war-style competition.

And that is where everything went seriously awry.

If one party needs ever to be more powerful than the other, it is not necessarily the democratic party, as parties sway and change, but the more progressive party, the more, we could say, liberal party But really the party with the most correct judgment of reality, the best ability for risk assessment, the best sense of moving the country forward, staying on top of global changes in relations, technologies, and yes, climate.

What is so wrong with conservatives in control? As mentioned, you do not lead with fear as a focal point. It is effective, yes. that is why tyrants, dictators, despots, and strongmen types use it to abuse their citizens. For power. "You shut up, let me do as I will because only I know best!" We heard our current POTUS Donald Trump say that, clearly, and repeatedly.

I just noticed something. It's amazing how Donald Trump is such the antithesis of President Harry S Truman. Seriously. Check out some of his quotes on that link, it will blow you away.

Interesting that is so much more me, and so NOT Donald Trump

If you think that's an odd comment that I don't seek or want attention, I don't. Becoming a writer demanded you seek attention and it took me years to get functional and somewhat comfortable with it. But I still have to grit my teeth and make myself do it, and of course, attempt to make it appear effortless. Trust me. It's not.

I used to help my now ex-wife with her volunteer work but only on the condition no one knew. It wasn't until years later I realized it wasn't so much about me as her being proud of her husband. My problem with that was, she was so much the attention seeker and sure, she earned it. For me, it wasn't so much her being directly proud of me, but her being proud in that others appreciated that her husband helped.

If you see what I mean. It was her wanting the attention, again. Besides, she knew I helped her anyway. I get that knowing others respect you and all that, but this was different. Trust me. I just grew up believing you help others, and that's all you need as reward, no attention, no medals, not applause.

It's really about orientation and priorities in life.

Conservatism is best used as a constraint, a governor on an engine, but only when you NEED a conservative approach to change and progress. As in disaster situations, be they physical or economical. But Republicans act like we're always in a financial disaster in that sense. And we are, but mostly due to their beliefs and actions.

It's a very detrimental way to lead a nation over time. It leads to anxiety, fear, austerity, fearing risk, and fearmongering leading to fascism or at least authoritarian and fascist actions. It's really best for emergencies, or during wartime. And therein lay another problem. America has been at war for decades. But that is not a reason to remain conservative through all that. One, or the other, or both need to be ended. 

I would argue sanely, rationally, wisely...both.

Donald Trump has been boasting he's now a wartime president as this coronavirus is a war situation. Naw, Wrong. It is a socioeconomic medical and scientific time. Not a war. Besides, he's not acting like a wartime president at all anyway. He's refusing to take responsibility. He's refusing to lead, or use the Federal Government to help the states and leaving them to fend for themselves for the most part.

It's led to capitalistic price gouging and states being outbid for equipment by other states, other nations, and the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. Who said their stockpiles are theirs. Who do they think they are? They re OUR employees. They seem to think it's the other way around. 

Anyway, all that being said, what we need, is for both parties to functionally work together again.

To stop the WINNER TAKE ALL NONSENSE! Because therein leaves us only those in power as the winners and all the rest of America, except those wealthy enough to survive the nuances of a very bumpy ride, as losers Over time their cost of living only continues to rise, while their income decreases.

As we've seen now for years. But that isn't just conservatives being in control. It's also our SCOTUS. Our greatest court has been subsidizing corporations with the most ridiculous of things, Like Citizens United. Bizarre, but understandable and if one is aware and informed, inevitab.e

Still, it was the conservative base who led us there, albeit that of one from the very richest among them. And then they convinced the majority of their base that what was best for them, was best for all. They invented now ridiculous economic policies like "Trickle-down economics" or "voodoo economics". Economics by magic never meant to enrich the economic majority but the minority wealthy.

We can get back to sanity in America. But it is very complicated to see all the moving parts that led us here and how to rectify the situation. 

The most obvious way is to only vote for smart people, regardless. To not vote for ideologists but rationalists. To vote for progressive and liberal agendas for a while. Though conservatives started this mess, progressives then joined in. We need to right the boat, first. Smack the conservative power block in the head, finally wake them up. And then when they start to see reality, start to bring sanity back into the mix.

Working together Compromising for the best situation.

Sounds great! Right?

Except when you are compromising with some about certain issues, there is no common ground. Corporations who want to use our public lands, to pollute them for profit? You cannot allow that.

So what's the answer? This brings us back to voting only for smart people. We also need to remove the new old dogs who are stuck in their Winner Take All mentality. Mitch McConnell is perhaps the biggest one. Those who constantly bow to Donald Trump, when they know, we all can see, they need to go up against him. They have to go. 

No more weaklings. But also, no more pretend "strongmen" like Donald Trump. A one-trick pony who is useless for much of what any nation like America needs, requires from its leadership.

This is going to take time. But remember, this isn't just for you, this is for all of us. We have the time. As long as we don't let this country go down hard, once and fr all.

Of late, we've been close. All we have to do is all want it together and persevere.

We have a strong country. We just have to slice off the chaff and let it breathe. 

The Exception That Proves The Rule

First up, I'm on a podcast about the making of my new film, "Gumdrop", a short horror. Now...

"Exceptio probat regulam in casibus non exceptis." That is: The Exception That Proves The Rule.

I've seen this misused so many times, it's embarrassing. Typically I hear it used to rationalize and justify a thing that is patently incorrect.

SOMETIMES it is used to show that something nearly always one thing can actually be another, typically the opposite, under present constraints or conditions. That is to say, they agree with you that what they are saying is usually wrong, but in this case, as they see it, with how things are, they are correct in their assumptions about it.

How that typically is used however is as a logical fallacy to justify their foolish contentions, because so many get lost in the phrasing.

Or as rational wiki puts it:
"You are most likely to encounter this phrase when somebody is speaking in generalisations or stereotypes and somebody else points out an example that clearly contradicts their comments. Retorting with the platitude that this is just the "exception that proves the rule" is an easy way of handwaving away this inconsistency."

But that all require a sense of understanding where one has a greater sense of reality and extenuating issues we seldom see when applied today, especially as regards politics.

Trump is the exception that proves the rule, that all conservatives are stupid."

I'm not even going to bother disassembling that one. But we do see this frequently among those not as educated or aware as they wish to project they are. Frequently we see this in conservative's arguments in support of ridiculous doctrines, policies, or politicians (see above).

"The exception that proves the rule."

As the grammarist.com puts it:
"A proverb often quoted, but many find confusing. A proverb is a short, common saying or phrase that particularly gives advice or shares a universal truth. We will examine the true meaning of the phrase the exception that proves the rule, its ancient origin, and some examples of its use in sentences.

"...often used to justify something that seems to contradict a rule. However, the term the exception that proves the rule actually means this exception, under these parameters, proves that the rule works in all other circumstances. In this case, the word proves is used in a semi-scientific sense to mean test."

For instance,

If a sign at a bakery states “Doughnuts available Sunday morning”, this is the exception that proves the rule that doughnuts are not available at the bakery at any other time.

This is not how most people seem to use it.

The term, "the exception that proves the rule", is derived from a Latin phrase first used by Cicero, "exceptio probat regulam in casibus non exceptis", which means the exception confirms the rule in cases not excepted.

This is typically beyond the mentality of most who attempt to use this phrase.

Is THAT the exception that proves the rule?