Most of us have heard the tapes fames
reporter Bob Woodward made of his conversations with Donald Trump.
(All right, they probably weren’t
tapes. They were probably digital recording of some sort. But people are
calling them tapes, so we will stick with that word. Hey maybe Woodward is an
old school guy, with boxes of cassettes or even reels labeled “Trump1” and “Trump
2” and so on.)
Now that you have heard Trump say that
the Coronavirus was much worse than even the most “strenuous” flues, and that
young people are quite susceptible to it,
we have to admit that Trump lied to us all about this very important topic.
He said he didn’t want to cause aa
panic. Let’s face it, Trump’s not wanting to reveal how bad he knew the
COVID-19 virus really was is a bit like your doctor’s not telling you about a very
treatable cancer in its early stages, because he doesn’t want to worry you. After
all, if you get worried, you might select a different doctor or you might not
be able to do your job as well as before, and you might not be able to pay the
doctor’s bill.
The principle of Freedom of Speech does
not cover shouting “Fire!” in a crowded theater – unless there really is a
fire. Catch that theater fire early, when it is small. Dump your five-dollar
Coke on it if you have to. Get people out of there and out of harm’s way.
Trump did none of those things. We now
knew that he knew about the fire, and let it rage out of control. Trump said he
did not want to cause a panic.
But Trump has shown that he isn’t all
that opposed to causing a panic. He tried to cause a panic about the massive
caravan of brown people who were going to storm our southern border. Now, he wants
you to panic because Black Lives Matter and Antifa are going to burn down your
city. Or, worse yet, they want you to panic because black and brown people might
want to buy houses in your neighborhood and – you guess it – live next to you.
Panic and fear can be very useful if
they get you to the polls to vote for another four years of terrible and
erratic leadership. Panic is bad when it might alter people’s behavior, cause
them to wear masks, cause them to socially distance from others for a time, in
order to eliminate the threat. That might hurt the Stock Market and make the Sociopath
in Chief appear weak.
There is no need for panic. Follow
safety guidelines, keep your hands clean, and make sure you have a plan to vote
Trump and his House and Senate panderers out of office.
