WHAT PRICE DELUSION / WHERE ARE WE NOW ?

I note that I have been silent since 20th July 2017, the last posting being about my hearing. Silence would therefore seem an appropriate follow up to a gradual difficulty with hearing. The current situation however cries out for some form of comment. So much has happened in such a short space of time to unhinge one's equilibrium, to put one in a perpetual state of anxiety, to have an underlying feeling of unease, to experience a static queasiness almost impossible to relieve. The lockdown has only exacerbated the situation and one cannot continually declaim, bluster and bellow at one's partner.  So, this is a general and public rant .

Adams 1735-1826

In checking my thesaurus under 'rant' the example given "to utter and express by ranting" was the phrase "Adams's fellow Federalists ranted that he was mentally unfit to be president". The Adams in question was John Adams, first Vice President and second President of the United States of America. One of the founding fathers. A Lawyer and political activist.
His chief critics were, on the opposition side Thomas Jefferson, and within his own party Alexander Hamilton.

Hamilton 1755-1804

Jefferson 1743-1826

All three of these men are revered as founding fathers of the United States. They were fervent interpreters and defenders of the Constitution, and in Jefferson's case, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence. It should be noted that Jefferson and Adams both died on the same day, the 4th July 1826, exactly 50 years after that Declaration. As to Hamilton, he did indeed have the view that Adams was mentally unfit to be president and he was opposed to Jefferson. He died on the 12th July 1804 having been shot the day before in a duel with Aaron Burr, who was then Vice President to Jefferson during his first term as 3rd President of the United States.

Aaron Burr 1756-1836

So turbulent times at the beginnings of the republic, and no less turbulent now. We have a man in place who is clearly mentally unfit for the office. He has demonstrated this throughout the world with his belligerent and bullying behaviour. At the slightest pretext, and in particular when asked a simple question, he turns to vilification and insult. He does not debate, he attacks, mocks and attempts to belittle anyone who shows the slightest disagreement or objection to what he says and does. His narcissism is beyond belief. He treats the White House as if it were a television studio hosting The Apprentice, including his daughter, sons and son-in-law as advisers just as he did on his reality show. He has demonstrated little or no concern for the duties of his office or the people he is meant to represent. Nearly a quarter of a million deaths from the pandemic is considered nothing. No big deal. He refuses to accept any facts and denies what is before his very eyes with bombast and lies. Everything about him suggest a deluded and mentally impaired individual. Whilst mental illness does not call for condemnation, and normally invites offers of help to return to an acceptance of a relatively normal existence, when the patient occupies a position of grave importance such as President of the United States, it calls for removal and commitment to an institution where treatment is available. The tantrums we are witnessing as a result of the loss of his office are embarrassing and very sad, but also infuriating. So spoilt an individual needs a shock of some kind to bring him out of his trance, if delusion be a kind of trance.

Hench and henchman

America however, is in its own trance. The images of the various demonstrations in support of Mr. Trump and in support of Mr. Biden are dramatically distinguished by the number of assault weapons openly carried by the Trump camp. The picture of a man sporting a rifle over his shoulder whilst pushing his child in a carriage was jaw dropping. He shows just how dangerous Mr. Trump is. This image does not seem to disturb your average American. Their media is made up of reality television on the whole. Such behaviour is probably the current norm. The number of chats shows, real housewives of (name the city) and confrontation shows is bewildering.  The current spectacle of who supports the president's delusions and who does not would be laughable were it not so serious. How any free thinking politician can stand by and regurgitate that 'the election is not over' and that 'the president has every right to contest' etc.. in too ridiculous. You will note that it is stated that the president has the right to object, but no one says his objections will actually change the result of the election. So why carry on the farce and the pretence of support? Perhaps they are all scared by the guns carried by the numbers who blindly voted for him. Their belief in his falsehoods and deceptions is again breath-taking.  The parallels with the Nazi takeover of Germany in the 1930's is frightening. Given the current state of play and the temperament of Mr Trump, I would not be surprised if he will attempt to use the military to stop any inauguration by anyone other than himself. 

You can see, then, why I find the whole spectacle somewhat alarming and stressful. Moving on, I look at the main architects of the United Kingdom's own delusions of grandure. There was indeed a time when Great Britain was very great.  The development and codification of the rule of law and duty of care between individuals is without question the greatest legacy a single nation can have. It is the solid rock underpinning the constitutions of every civilised nation on earth; even the American Constitution which arose out of a revolution against the very state which gave it birth. Time, wars, population growth, assimilation and basic economics have changed the playing field. A sovereign nation may be, but one that can no longer pretend it can do it alone. Yet it clings to a time when it presided over world affairs punching way above its weight. In choosing to separate itself from the European union it has made the most colossal mistake.

The Architects of delusion

The deluded

The rhetoric is schizophrenic. Britain can separate from the EU, and take back control, whilst Scotland, which wanted to stay in the EU, is wrong to want to separate from the UK. Why is taking back control not right for Scotland, but alright for the UK. I do not understand. Unity and disunity? The pandemic has demonstrated the desperate need for Nations to unite together, to help each other deal with a world catastrophe. The economics of every Nation is in jepardy and the pull on the world bank will be enormous. How will differing countries deal with the eventual bill ? International compromise and cooperation will be essential. The international threat of terrorism is a global problem, and the sharing of resources and information to deal with it is an issue of global unity.  Climate control and the security of the planet is clearly a problem of co-operation and unity. No one nation can cope.

The concerns of Brexit appear to be solely involved with commerce. What tariffs should we have? How can we sell and buy goods? What fish can we catch? Who can fish? Where can car parts be made and sold? What control are we really concerned about?

Does Britain have control of the world economy, let alone its own? No. Does Britain have control of the world's security? No. Does Britain have control of world or indeed its own pollution? No. 

What control has been taken back ??

It can only contribute by co-operation and unification to provide solutions. Little Britain won't make it. Grow up.

 

So, again, you can see the seedlings of my concerns and anxieties leading to the seemingly permanent state of unease.

And then there is this man:

That he is the ultimate gangster is, in my uninformed and prejudiced view, no question. He is clearly the envy of Mr. Trump who has only succeeded in deluding nearly half the population of the United States. Mr Putin has a far greater degree of worship in Russia.

 

So where are we now?