Scott Gurvey's Public Offerings

I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore. Great line from a great movie (Network, 1976) and a line which perfectly matches my mood.

I am sick and tired of getting into a rage each day, sometimes more than once a day, because of something the monster in the White House has done. I am halfway through writing about one expression of outrage when another matter comes up, and I start all over again. I don’t know who I am most angry with. Donald Trump or the 77 million people who voted for him. I have spent the better part of a month not writing at all. And trying not to pay much attention to the news either.

But the social media post Trump put up for Easter weekend was a tipping point. Futile as it seems, it is time to put some rage back on the screen. Trump’s post is the product of one sick mind. It is vile. It is reckless. It is a disgrace to 250 years of American history. How could anyone condone this post coming from the man who is supposed to be the leader of the nation? It confounds me.

Let me be very clear here. I am not a prude. There is a time and a place for profanity. And I have no love lost for Iran. I was reporting for CBS News in 1981 when 52 American diplomats arrived at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York. They had been held captive for 444 days by the so-called Muslim Student Followers of the Imam’s Line who had stormed the American Embassy in Trehan following the Iranian Revolution. I still have one of the yellow ribbons that were tied on fences and trees at the airfield to welcome them home.

For forty-five years I have been listening to the chants of the radical Islamic people of Iran yelling, “Death to America,” “Death to Israel,” “Death to Americans, “Death to Jews.” I don’t care much about what happens to Iran. And I find their cries of “war crimes” laughable in light of their record of indiscriminate terrorism waged in the form of deadly attacks on civilians throughout the western world.

But that has nothing to do with the rage I feel with a president who would post the threats and insults above. Yes, an eye for an eye is the old biblical justification for horrendous acts. But the United States of America is supposed to be above that. The United States of America is supposed to be a nation of law. And the United States of America is supposed to do its best to follow the international agreements it has made. Our record is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. But we try harder than most.

This kind of morally despicable behavior is standard operating procedure for Trump. Following the death of Robert Mueller on March 20, Trump posted this abomination.

For the record, Mueller was a lawyer, and a registered Republican. He received a bronze star for heroism and a purple heart for his service in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. That’s the war Trump sat out on a medical deferment for “bone spurs.” Mueller served in several positions in the Department of Justice. He also served 12 years as the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, appointed by President George W. Bush and continuing to serve under President Barack Obama. He was the only FBI director permitted by Congress to serve more than the statutory 10‑year term limit since the death of J. Edgar Hoover in 1972, receiving a special two‑year extension. A testament to his performance in modernizing and reforming the FBI.

Mueller came out of retirement to serve as special counsel for the Department of Justice. In this capacity, Mueller oversaw the investigation into “any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump, and any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation.” That investigation is the source of Trump’s hate. Muller was investigating Trump’s campaign and inner circle. Trump repeatedly characterized the probe as a “witch hunt.” He later claimed he had been “completely exonerated.” As he has done so often, Trump lied.

The final report Mueller released, extensively documented, found that Russia had without doubt worked during the 2016 election to tilt the scales away from Hillary Clinton and toward Donald Trump. Mueller issued several indictments. But on the question of Trump and his campaign, Muller found he did not have evidence that he believed would convince a jury to convict, unanimously, Trump and the campaign “beyond a reasonable doubt.” That is the high standard required for criminal prosecution in the United States. The finding was far from an exoneration.

But Trump has never been one to let the facts get in the way of his opinions. Or his hatred.

There are today three types of Americans. Those who knew Trump would be this bad and tried to warn everyone. Those who voted for Trump and now realize they’ve been conned. And those who voted for Trump and currently fight all facts and logic to try to prove to themselves that they were right.

Everyone is Mad as Hell.

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