Roger's Wrong Way Thinking

Let me say right away, I am probably wrong.  I know there are readers out there who will say this as soon as they are done reading so it’s best to clear the air at the outset: these thoughts aren’t meant to be right.  If here and there a reader unexpectedly happens to agree with something they read here, I guess we should go get our heads examined. 

For every thought, there are a dozen rejoinders; a hundred disagreements; a thousand modifications; repudiation upon repudiation without number.  However, after reader and writer work their through most of the culture clash and ideological wars of doctrinal purity, I hope there is still something left “alive” in my writing.  If I can get even one reader in a hundred to spark positively, I’ll be happy.

Today’s “Wrong Way Thinking” concerns Donald Trump and U.S. District Judge (Southern District of California) Gonzalo Curiel.  At last night’s meeting of “Chumps for Trump”, the evening got quite heated over Trump’s comments accusing Judge Curiel of being biased and hating him.  The two factions at the meeting finally compromised and drafted a list of ten easy questions to ask Donald before we decide whether to praise or condemn his verbal broadside against a man’s honorable station in life:

·         Have you ever met Judge Curiel?  If so, where and when?

·         Why does he hate you?  Did he ever say this or are you just making it up? 

Even the pro-Donald forces last evening though it a little weak to claim “hatred” based on a proposed wall that does not exist anywhere except as a figment of Donald’s imagination . . . .

An  argument “as thin as the homeopathic soup that was made by boiling the shadow of a pigeon that had starved to death”, as Honest Abe would say.

·         Donald, are you familiar with Judge Curiel’s education and judicial record? 

·         Do you know of his personal and judicial courage in fighting drug traffickers?

·         Did you oppose Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointing Judge Curiel to the San Diego Superior Court?

·         What specific statement or decision has he made that offends you, O Great Donald?

·         Has he ever said or done anything to evince prejudice toward you?  If so, what was it?

·         Do you feel Americans born in this country should remain “foreign nationals” if their parents or grandparents came from another country?  For example, do you consider yourself German or American?

·         Is there any chance your unprovoked attack is an attempt to distract people from the lawsuits in which it is alleged that Trump University was not a real university but a sucker’s trap--suits alleging fraud in that you promised students far more than was actually delivered?

·         Do you have any evidence at all that Judge Curiel ever acted in a biased or unprofessional manner toward you?  If so . . . oh forget it, everybody knows you don’t have a damn thing.

Some pundits claim they have detected a narcissistic streak in Donald.  Lately, after the above accusations surfaced, the term “pathological liar” was bandied about on one news station. 

Whether either phrase is clinically justifiable or not, it certainly gives one pause to realize that pundits, newscasters, and critics have seen fit to use such extreme terms to describe a candidate for president of the United States.  What’s left after “narcissistic” and “pathological liar”?  Nixonian Complex?  (“You won’t have Nixon to kick around . . .” said Dick.  You won’t have Donald to kick around” said Donald).    

We do not know what will come next from the mouth of Donald but he sure has a way of surprising people. The question is not whether he survives this latest episode as he has weathered others, but whether he has any inkling of the total impropriety and gratuitous grossness of such reckless speech? 

But what can he say to this last question? “Yes or no”, he stands condemned by his own raw immaturity, unstable personality, and imbecilic pronouncements.  There, that’s fair and impartial!

Next time on “Wrong Way Thinking”:

If elected, will Donald change the name of the White House to Trump House Towers?  Will he rent Trump White House rooms to the rich and famous?  Will he turn the lawn into a satellite campus of Trump University? (Currently defunct, true, but is it capable of resurrection if enough students want it?)

“Chumps for Trump” will meet next week to discuss the pending resolution laid on the table:

“Should Trump apologize for his insulting remarks aimed at Judge Gonzalo Curiel?”