Day 1090 – The Persistence of Stupidity

Friday, January 12, 2024

There was a great meme on Facebook a few days ago. Rene Descartes with his eyes bugging out that read,

“When Rene Descartes realized there were people who exist that don’t think.”

(This a play on the French philosopher’s famous, “I think, therefore I am” statement.)

I’ve been surprised by the lack of legal argument by Donald Trump and his lawyers in his New York fraud case. Similarly, Rudy Giuliani and Steve Bannon in their cases. They offer little or no defense or explanation in court for their actions. I guess because the offenses are so egregious. I don’t know.

Yesterday, Trump made a statement outside the courtroom that they prosecution had offered no evidence and that they, Trump and his team, had offered millions of pages in their defense. Nothing could be further from the truth. The fraud was so bad that the judge decided to skip the trial all together and move to damages. Before that I had heard lawyers exclaim that this was beyond an open and shut case and that any lawyer with one arm tied behind his back could win it. Pretty damning stuff. Yet, here’s Donald Trump saying the opposite – outside the courtroom. Inside? That was another story. After offering no defense the judge let Donald ramble for five minutes and then cut him off. Naturally, Trump did not abide by the restrictions and caveats, hence the cutoff. Caveats like “you can’t present new facts in closing arguments,” which we all know from watching Perry Mason or Law and Order. Warnings like “Stick to the case. Don’t make political speeches.” Yeah. Right.

The prosecutor was originally asking for $250 million, but she has now upped it to $370. Aside from probably (no certainly) not having the money. There’s the problem that Trump, his sons, and the Trump organization won’t be allowed to do business in New York for like ten years, Aw, too bad.

Meanwhile, down the hall Wayne La Pierre was on trial. I wonder if he and Donnie had a cry session in the hallway. Bemoaning how unfair it was that they were being treated like normal people?

Recently, there was a poll that showed 25% of people in the U.S. believe the FBI orchestrated Jan 6th, and 26% aren’t sure with 48% saying, “No.” That means 51% either buy the lie or are ready to jump on the band wagon of the lie. How did we come to this point?

Even more surprising to me was an interview with a young couple in Iowa who believe that Trump’s legal problems are a put up job by I don’t know who but the woman went on to say Jesus died for our sins and Trump somehow is being tried in a similar manner.

I’ve always had a problem with that Jesus dying for our sins bit. In the same way that Alan Sherman said his mom used to tell him to clean his plate because “Children were starving in India.” So he cleaned his plate. He stayed fat and the kids in India kept starving.

I mean, how does that work? Okay, you offer some food or drink or a goat to your god. And somehow your god will then forgive you for whatever. But if it’s really bad you need to up the ante. The Mayans would offer a baby if they hadn’t gotten any rain. Okay. Did it help? I dunno.

If god loves you why do you have to slaughter a goat or one of your own? (I was going to say “a kid,” but no, not gonna do it.”)

It’s never made sense to me. Yet, here’s a young couple in Iowa who are looking at Donald Trump like he is being sacrificed for their … what? Their financial misdeeds? I don’t get it.

Then yesterday or the day before there was the Republican led committee finding Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress for not coming before their closed door session where they could bully him, leak half truths and lie. He was willing to come before the committee, but only in public. They weren’t having it. In fact, some members were outraged because Hunter was there! Who let him in? Oh, he’s ready to testify. We don’t want that? We want to find him in contempt. Okay. How about we find Jim Jordan and Mark Meadow in contempt for their not complying? We aren’t here about that. We are talking a valid issued subpoena. See me beat my chest? See me rent my garments? Oh the shame… 

Where was I?

Meanwhile a Republican Special prosecutor is bringing tax charges against Hunter on both coasts. The charges are crap, but who cares? 

Woke, Libby, George Soros…

How did we get here?

The problem seems to be a fundamental flaw in our underlying thoughts and beliefs. Like the Rene Descartes’ meme, we may not be as rational as we have led ourselves to believe. We may not be as smart as we had hoped.