Trump is a Vector of Chaos
Using a phrase I learned from my wife’s family, this is only my “pee pot opinion”, but I’ve been writing these observations for nine years, and almost all have turned out to be spot on. So, here we go:
Trump is a vector of chaos. That is his “management” style, going back to his real estate career in New York. He says and does things that destabilize order and then he steps in and declares himself the winner. This is what he’s doing now—don’t you feel the chaos building? His only goal is to see himself on TV surrounded by sycophants, preferrably in a gold plated room, and his handlers reinforce this delusion. He has declared bankruptcy four times and the United States will be his fifth.
Incredibly, a third of our friends and neighbors support him even though he doesn’t believe in science (global warming and vaccinations), facts (Biden won the 2020 election fair and square; prices are NOT going down) or the Constitution (“I don’t know if I have to obey the Constitution.”). In fact, Dr. Steven Hassan, author of “The Cult of Trump” says: “Trump lies constantly, has no conscience, never admits when he is wrong, and projects all of his shortcomings on to others. He has become more authoritarian, more outrageous, and yet many of his followers remain blindly devoted.”
Although he is clearly a savant–gifted at channeling discontent–he is woefully ignorant about how our federal government works, and completely incapable of directing the surgically targeted disassembly of our government that is happening. So who then, is in charge of firing federal agency Inspectors General (responsible for making sure the agencies follow the law and eliminating fraud), bringing in DOGE, and selecting the incompetent federal agency leaders that we have now? If Trump is not the mastermind of this destruction, who is? Look no further than Steven Miller and the authors of the Republican Project 2025 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_2025). They are basically front organizations for the very rich (like the Heritage Foundation), and radical evangelicals (like the New Apostolic Reformation, which believes that Donald Trump is ushering in “The Rapture” when most of us will burn in hell.).
Simply put, it’s democracy versus big money. What we are experiencing right now, with the government shutdown, is one of the last gasps of democracy in this country. Big money (as Bernie has been warning for decades) owns our government. Project 2025/MAGA/BigMoney owns most of the Supreme Court, over half of the Legislature, and, of course, the Executive and all of agencies that have been built over years to protect and serve us.
So far, the strategy of the defenders of democracy has been two pronged: mock and march. Although both strategies make us feel good, through it all, the destruction of our federal government has continued, and Project 2025’s goal of chaos marches forward—but we can’t give up.
What will stop this takeover by the very rich and radical evangelicals?
I think one of our best allies is the military. As a veteran, I took an oath to defend the CONSTITUTION, not a president. The oath required me to “…defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” Do you remember when Trump called all the commanding generals in to Washington? Both Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and President Donald Trump got an icy reception. I am sure the Pentagon understands what is going on and sooner or later some general will refuse an illegal (unconstitutional) order, creating a showdown between the military and the executive.
What can ordinary folks do to stop the takeover? The problem is that the goal of Project 2025/MAGA/Billionaires is to cause chaos, and many proposed next-steps, like a general strike, would create more chaos.
Frankly, I don’t know what to do—beyond continuing to write and march.
Don Eggleston
Aptos
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Commission should keep passenger rail service on track
The RTC should continue to pursue zero emission passenger rail service in Santa Cruz County. The train will provide an easy way to bypass Highway 1 congestion, as well as a reliable transportation option for residents who can’t or prefer not to drive.
To pay for the project the RTC can hire staff instead of paying consultants, use local contractors, continue to get state and federal grants, and pursue cost saving approaches. The cost of building the rail system will be cumulative over years of construction and is less than Highway 1 improvements and road maintenance projects
Rail opponents keep talking about railbanking. County residents already voted against railbanking by 73%, because we want the train and the trail both. We all know that starting a legal battle to remove the tracks wouldn’t get the trail built faster. It would only benefit a few trackside land owners looking for a payoff.
The RTC should move forward with rail service along with the trail between North and South County.
Russell Weisz
Santa Cruz
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Well said Don. I concur.
Don, there is more that you can do. Many of those who go along with fascism do so because they feel like their society treats them as less than others. It is a feeling of vengeance and redemption that makes Trump incomprehensibly popular to your neighbors. Perhaps acknowledging that not everyone benefits from Democratic Party policies and listening to the disaffected, will make those neighbors feel apart of society again, instead of pariahs with no hope aside from grasping onto the coattails of an authoritarian strongman. I agree that we need to hold the line against fascist tendencies, but if we are going to put an end to the allure of MAGA, we have to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. Protecting a liberal democracy is not easy, but it is worth it.
Also, May, a couple weeks ago I wrote that there was no evidence that Trump was a pedophile, but the Epstein emails released this morning seem to support your view to things. My apologies.