Glory to Ukraine!
Glory to the defenders of Ukraine and all modern civilization!
Eternal Memory to those killed as a result of barbaric Russian terrorist attacks. Recovery and healing to all affected.
Today in the issue:
- Virtual world à la newspaper for Salazar
- Pre-election news
- Trump’s rating fell to 33% – a record low in history
▶ When the long-time Portuguese dictator Salazar had a traumatic stroke in 1968 (as a result of an accident – a fall), and he lost the real ability to govern the country, the top of the ruling regime promoted a new leader – Caetano, who replaced Salazar as Prime Minister. But Salazar, who came out of the coma but was experiencing severe consequences of the stroke, was not informed about this and was presented with the illusion that he continued to be the all-powerful dictator of Portugal that he had been for 36 years. A government newspaper issue was printed for him in a single copy, creating an alternative reality for him. In this alternative reality, Salazar remained the all-powerful dictator, and the country continued to live under his leadership. Ministers kept coming to Salazar with reports. This continued for almost two years – until Salazar’s death in 1970. He never knew he had been removed from power.
What is the connection of this story to today, and to today’s America, in particular?
The 47th President of the USA constantly repeats statements, the content of which suggests he has created a virtual, “alternative” reality for himself.
Well, indeed, what do we hear from him?
If I were president, the Russian-Ukrainian war would not have started because I have a great relationship with Putin (he never clarifies whether he means the year 2014, when the war began, or 2022, when the war escalated into full-scale Russian aggression). Once he said that in 2017 he allegedly told Putin that if he attacked Ukraine, he, Trump, would bomb him. But by 2017, Putin had already attacked Ukraine three years earlier. Was Trump aware of this? Good question.
While I am president, Xi will not attack Taiwan, because I have a great relationship with Xi.
North Korea poses no danger because I have a great relationship with Kim Jong Un.
On Thursday, he stated that Russia will not attack NATO countries. Well, of course, because he has a great relationship with Putin.
His conviction that he has “great relationships” with dictators is one of the foundations of his alternative reality. “Great relationships” with dictators who likely laugh at him after each such statement.
Is he sure that Xi will not decide, like Putin and like he himself, Trump, that he can start a war because he is confident in a quick victory?
Is he sure that Kim will not make the same decision?
Is he sure that Putin will not decide to expand the war by attacking NATO European countries?
These are not rhetorical questions. Stalin, for example, believed that Hitler would not attack him.
Narcissistic personality disorder is manifested, among other things, in absolute self-confidence, conviction of one’s superiority and uniqueness.
What will he do if any of these three dictators act contrary to his confidence? If these three dictators generally agree to act simultaneously, not as he has decided in his virtual world, but in exactly the opposite way—carrying out, synchronously, the attacks that, the 47th is sure, they will not undertake because he has “great relationships” with these three dictators?
His virtual reality is not limited to this.
He almost daily claims that the US controls the Strait of Hormuz (one wonders, does he himself believe this?)
On Thursday, he staged a show in the Oval Office to sign a decree on yet another geographical “renaming”—Lake Ontario to Lake America. These renaming decrees of his—be it Lake Ontario, the Gulf of Mexico, or the Department of Defense—are like the newspaper for Salazar. Only the newspaper for Salazar was printed in a single copy by courtiers, while Trump organizes the renaming shows himself. No one calls the Gulf of Mexico the American Gulf. Except for administration officials and some pro-Trump and foreign media, no one calls the Department of Defense the Ministry of War (it’s even impossible to call it that, names of ministries are established by Congress, which creates or closes them by passing the corresponding laws). No one will call Lake Ontario (which has had this name for over 400 years) Lake America. No one, except officials of his administration, who will obsequiously repeat the names he invented and pretend for him that reality is akin to a newspaper for Salazar.
One of the most popular jokes of recent days in the US, which has become the subject of memes and cartoons, is that Trump signed a decree renaming Canadian geese to Donald’s geese.
There is no doubt that all these renaming decrees of his, no matter how many he issues, will be canceled in the first hour a new Democratic president appears in the White House. It is thought that all of them, or most of them, will even be revoked by a new hypothetical Republican president.
Meanwhile, the 47th will continue to create an “alternative” reality. A virtual world in the style of a newspaper for Salazar. And he will read and reread this “newspaper” created by him for himself. Unless the real world reminds him of its existence. However, it’s not certain that if it does remind him, he will agree to notice it…
▶ In the real, not virtual, world in the USA, Congressional elections are approaching. There are 66 days left.
On Thursday, a federal judge in Boston halted the actions of a USPS memorandum—the United States Postal Service—stating it would, in accordance with Trump’s order, deliver ballots to voters only in those states that provided the Department of Homeland Security with voter registration rolls proving their citizenship, and only to those voters whom the Department of Homeland Security includes in the list of those deemed eligible to vote.
On Tuesday, 23 states filed a lawsuit challenging the USPS memorandum and Trump’s order, which the memorandum is based on, as illegal.
The grounds are simple and natural.
According to the U.S. Constitution, elections are conducted by the states. The federal government has no and cannot have any involvement in them. Congress can pass laws setting general parameters for conducting elections. But the president and the federal executive branch play no role in the conduct of elections—neither the Constitution nor the federal election law provide for any participation of the president and the executive branch in conducting elections.
According to the law, the responsibility of the postal service is to deliver mail. Obstructing the delivery of mail to recipients is a crime under the federal criminal code. The postal service may refuse to deliver only items dangerous to others, such as those containing poisons or explosives. And, of course, the postal service cannot establish its role in conducting elections. If election commissions mail ballots to voters, and voters mail them back to election commissions, the postal service must deliver all these letters to the recipients.
The Department of Justice and the postal service have already filed an appeal with the appellate court against the decision of the Boston federal district court on Friday.
Trump is confident that by hindering or prohibiting mail-in voting in some states, he will reduce the number of votes cast for Democrats. Because many voters in large cities, where the majority vote for Democrats, use mail-in voting. Standing in line on a workday at a polling station in one area of a big city, while needing to travel for work to another area of the city, is challenging. And elections are held on a workday—the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
Meanwhile, as reported by the Atlantic magazine on Tuesday citing its sources, Trump insists that Republican candidates in the congressional elections should tell voters about him, about Trump, and themselves as conduits of his policies. Trump has directed $400 million from his political super fund to be allocated for creating television ads praising various aspects of his policies and urging votes for Republican candidates in the elections.
Republican party strategists and some of those running for Congress, who wished to remain unnamed, told journalists that they fear such advertising could have the opposite effect and further diminish their already problematic chances in the elections since Trump and all aspects of his policies are extremely unpopular among the majority of Americans.
▶ According to the most recent poll conducted by Reuters/Ipsos (conducted by Ipsos for Reuters), Trump’s rating fell to 33%. This is the lowest rating in history for a second-term president a year and 7 months after taking office. Only 13% of voters fully support his activities as president. At the same time, Trump is supported by 85% of registered Republicans (35% of registered Republicans fully support him). The survey was conducted from August 21 to 24.
There are 875 days left until the end of the story called “Fear: Trump in the White House” © (title of the book by Bob Woodward, published in 2018).
Thank you to everyone who read this. Take care of yourself and your loved ones. Take care of each other, and help one another. Wishing everyone health.
Ultimately, what happens in the world depends on us. Whether we fight evil, do Good, remain mere observers, passively wait, and believe that someone else will make decisions for us, or fight evil and do everything possible for Good to prevail.
We must not allow evil to prevail. The victory of evil will mean the end of the world we live in. We cannot allow this. Especially now.
Ukrainian friends, I embrace and love you all. Please take care of each other.
Ukraine is and will always be.
And evil will be defeated and punished. It is inevitable.
