2017 Apr 3^rd

There are some behaviors that lead psychological experts to question the mental health of the behaver. Some time ago, a candidate for the presidency, Senator Goldwater, was declared a few marbles short by some mental health professionals. Various organizations have since declared that any diagnosis, particularly of political figures, without an examination is unethical. On the other hand, some behaviors are sufficiently bizarre as to convince any observer that an intervention may be needed.

Our president, seated in the oval office with his acolytes gathered behind his chair, was prepared to sign a document. This his precisely the task at which he is adept and which he seems to enjoy. A reporter shouted a question about General Flynn and instantly Trump rose from his chair and abruptly left the room, his vice president trailing behind him, unsigned documents in hand, moving swiftly to catch up. Absent minded? Forgetting the task at hand? Put off his goal by a routine question from the “dishonest media?”…or has he starting dropping marbles? Everyone has an opinion, but no one knows.

An even more startling example of a need for mental health counselling comes from Patrick Buchanan’s column. In it Buchanan asks, “Is Putin the ‘preeminent statesman’ of our times.” Buchanan then goes on to present what he considers evidence for this bit of inanity. The evidence is more than a tad lopsided. He cites a speech given at Hillsdale College by Chris Caldwell of the Weekly Standard. Caldwell says, “When Putin took power in 1999 Russia was defenseless. It was bankrupt….” This poor defenseless state had the largest nuclear arsenal in the world and it had the means for delivering those weapons against whomever.

Caldwell tells us (through Buchanan) that Putin “disciplined the plutocrats.” What does that mean? He certainly didn’t deprive them of money. We know that Deutsche Bank was fined 600 million dollars for laundering 10 billion dollars in Russian money. This was not complicated: A Russian bought millions of dollars in stock and paid for it in Rubles, then immediately sold that same stock for dollars that could be sent out of the country to, perhaps buy US properties. The purchase might include a house in Florida owned by Donald Trump for which he paid about 40 million and then sold to a Russian for about 100 million four years later. This is what Caldwell calls, “disciplining the plutocrats.”

Buchanan asks, “What has Putin done to rival what our NATO ally has done in Turkey jailing 40,000 people…” But wait, didn’t Trump’s erstwhile NSC chief hire his lobbying group to this same dictator for over half million dollars? No mention of this by Caldwell. He also brings up Philippine’s Rodrigo Duterte calling him “our Philippine ally.” He fails to mention that this “ally” called President Obama, “… a son of a whore,” and told him, “to go to hell.” No mention of that by Caldwell or Buchanan.

A few days ago there were thousands of Moscow citizens protesting in the streets. Hundreds were arrested.  Protesting against this “preeminent statesman” is not permitted. At least half a dozen critics, journalists and politicians have been murdered recently, the latest casualty shot in the back of the head on the street just outside the Kremlin. Caldwell never mentioned that in his talk to the right leaning folks at Hillsdale.

It does strike me, as an old academic, that it is unconscionable to present this unmitigated Bull S***t to very bright but naïve college youngsters. Eventually there will be a price and we will all pay it.