By Dan Hardman
dhardman3@yahoo.com
“Let heaven kiss earth! Now let not Nature’s hand Keep the wild flood-confin’d! Let order die! And let this world no longer be a stage to feed contention in a lingering act; But let one spirit of the first-born Cain Reign in all bosoms, that, each heart being set on bloody courses, the rude scene may end, and darkness be the burier of the dead!” ( 2 King Henry IV., i. 1., Shakespeare )
Black – thoroughly sinister, evil; marked by the occurrence of disaster; calamitous; characterized by hostility or angry discontent; connected with or invoking the supernatural or the devil; subject to boycott by [trade-union] members. No, I’m not describing the usual suspects – African Americans or President Obama – but Donald J. Trump, president-elect of the United States.
Although orange on the outside, inside he is as black and devoid of light as the deepest reaches of space. That’s why on January 20 th , 2017, inauguration day, I will wear mourner’s clothes to commemorate his ascension to the highest elected office in America. By doing so I align myself with Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) and others who will boycott the inauguration.
During his recent press conference, Trump displayed nothing short of contempt for a free press, calling one CNN reporter “fake news”. Oh, the irony! As chief mouth-piece of the so-called birther movement, Trump was a one-man fake news factory. Now he whines as others rightly cast doubt on his legitimacy, something his innumerable lies and deceptions had already done. He relishes outing others while he and his business dealings remain shrouded in mystery.
His attempt to resolve ethical conflicts by promising to turn his businesses over to his two elder sons fails miserably. Remember he also promised to create a blind trust. Remember, too, during the primaries he promised to release his tax returns. Come January 20 th , he will be in violation of both the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause and his signed agreement with General Services Administration who leased the Washington DC post office building to him that he converted into his newest hotel.
His stated plan to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem could spark a Middle East war, a war conservatives did their best to spark during the last Bush Administration. So, if you’re an Armageddon-phile, stay tuned, you may not have to wait much longer. The deciding factor will be how far Congressional Republicans go down this rabbit hole before they begin to reign him in, if they can.
Bullies, like peas-in-a-pod Trump and Putin, never relinquish control easily. His surprise victory may be the reason so many Republicans are cowering, namely Speaker Paul Ryan and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. If the Tea Party ushered in the era of primary challenges, what will the era of Trump bring? Whatever it is, it won’t be good. My guess is, Trump will prove to be more of a destructive force than the Tea Party. One thing is certain: America has turned a corner and that corner points down to darkness.
