Here We Are Again - 50 Years Later

John Cleary, who was wounded by Ohio National Guardsman while a student at Kent State University in May 1970, fills the cover of Life magazine published a week after the historic shootings at the Ohio campus. (Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette)

George Floyd dies at the knee of a Minneapolis police officer. May 2020. (AP) 

In our time we have tumbled far from the Liberty Tree.

Every day, we witness presidential behavior that is at once outrageous, infantile, narcissistic psychopathic, sadistic, moronic, racist, cowardly, and misogynistic. Then we do nothing about it.

Somehow, we have all fallen to a new low, one totally lacking honor and dignity, as well as faithfulness to our ancestor’s highest accomplishment: the U.S. Constitution. By allowing Mr. Trump’s daily barrage of vileness to continue, we put our stamp of approval on it, conflating it each day with a new standard of low-level of acceptability.

Then, we just go about our daily activities.

Still, this morning, some of us at least, will pray that we have finally bottomed out, and the Trumpian era of chaos is finally showing signs of collapse. Because Mr. Trump’s latest outrage clearly promotes armed conflict. And, that is something no sane person call tolerate.

He is now confirming and supporting “the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat”, plus calling Minneapolis protesters, “thugs”, then further glorifying violence by declaring: “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”

For me, Trump’s rhetoric brings back another May, 50 years ago.

Then is was May 1970, when another president labeled university protesters, “bums”. His rhetoric, while more “refined” than Mr. Trump’s, signaled the end of his time in office. Soon, most Americans would find some peace of mind as he boarded Marine One that last time, heading out of Washington, D.C.

Please see:
https://downriverusa.blogspot.com/2017/02/when-demagogues-incompetence-rule.html and
https://downriverusa.blogspot.com/2020/05/closure.html

Perhaps, Mr. Trump will follow the same game plan.

The Day the '60s Died - PBS - 2015