This Carbon Based Life

By David Glenn Cox

Somebody make it stop. I can hardly watch anymore. A guy comes on TV and despite the advice of high-priced counsel insists on incriminating himself in front of the camera and an audience of millions.

Believing himself so clever, believing he can handle the high-powered questions with his low grade lies. And proud of himself, yes proud, despite his obviousness. Until it’s like watching a man punching himself in the head. Until it’s too painful to watch anymore.

Maybe it was the lighting or the set or maybe it was just me. But Donald Trump looked different to me somehow. Maybe he’s been on a diet or something or maybe a new makeup artist. Trump’s face looked different, refined. His hair thinner and thinning and his comb over is becoming less disguised. His eyes bulging, heavily laden with bags and puffiness, tired, red and bloodshot.

I’ve noticed that as Trump’s weight goes up from 215 lbs. his tie goes down. That bright red tie will take the eye to the vertical rather than the horizontal. So as horizontal expands, the vertical must do likewise and so his tie now extends down to his inseam.

But weight gain in a man of 77 who doesn’t exercise much and eats poorly, isn’t really good news. I guess that’s what shocked me. Maybe shocked is too strong a word, but what surprised me at least. Grandpa Don looks funny. Like something is not right. That look grandma had before, you know.

Trump never has been right, an old man with blonde hair and orange face makeup. Thus making Trump’s physical erosion even more difficult to spot at first glance, having no clear frame of reference to judge.

But in a word, it’s madness. A man facing serious, serious legal challenges is going to go on national TV to blab about it and answer questions. I think if Trump had anyone around him who actually gave a shit about him. And wasn’t there just for a paycheck, they would have been eating Tums by the roll. But worse, Trump’s that guy from Court TV who thinks he’s an attorney capable and confident, who can handle himself in court.  

The blustering bullshit artist who still thinks he can talk his way out of this predicament. “Yes! I can still turn this around. I’ll be clever and use subterfuge. I’ll pretend to be open, while using every question as a dodge. Then every time, I’ll go off on some crazy tangent claiming victimhood. Yeah, I’m the victim here! They’ll love it!” Same as last week and same as last month, same as it ever was. And doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome is called? Trumpism?

Trump has attached “deranged” to Jack Smith’s name and can’t say Jack Smith without saying the “Deranged” title obsessively. “Gotta watch Wopner, three o’clock.”  Deranged, deranged! The man is deranged! I say deranged; do you hear me? Deranged! A show of hands, does anyone really believe Jack Smith is insane and or out of his mind? Federal jobs like that are hard to get, and it’s unlikely they would let someone insane through the screening process.

When Donald Trump said he was just a speaker at the rally on January 6^th , I fell out. Come on now, how dumb do you really think we are? Not Trump supporters, we already know how dumb they are but the public at large. Trump called those low-budget dumb ass dupes to Washington to do his bidding for him. “Oh, I just happened to stop by to say a few words to the crowd. “I sure hope Mike Pence is going to do the right thing!” The other day Trump repeated that statement only this time with Mark Meadows name attached. (Don’t rat me out!)

It’s that Trump duality conundrum again, is he really that dumb or is this an act? On the one hand Trump is thuggish and about as subtle as a jack hammer. He must have had an ulterior motive to go on TV and make things even worse for himself. Maybe just to jaundice the jury pool as much as he can to a national audience. And then claim he can’t receive a fair trial because of the publicity Trump has created about himself.

Occam’s razor says the most obvious solution is probably correct. And the most obvious solution is Trump doesn’t know what he is doing. Still believing it is like it once was. Still believing he can move the mob of the great unwashed. Disconnected from reality, “Sure, I’ll answer your questions.” Still pushing the used car salesman schtick. When maybe Trump’s cheese is beginning to slide off its cracker.

But we’ve all heard it before. Yes, yes, the election was stolen, and you was robbed, weren’t you? (Yawn) And everybody is out to get you, aren’t they? You declassified all those documents and had every right to keep them. It was a perfect phone call. That prosecutor is deranged! Who is Trump speaking to here? His sycophants don’t need his excuses, and Trump’s adversaries would never believe any excuse as weak kneed as that one.

Trump is doing what he can do. Doing all he knows to do, and it isn’t working. His soldiers are threatening civil war if the Stockholm syndrome Republicans don’t snap to attention to save their mournful messiah. Impeach Joe Biden! Do it now! Do it or else you’re out of a job Kevin! Marge Tater Greene says she wants to impeach Joe Biden and wants to make it as slow and painful as possible. And if they don’t have any evidence…do it anyway!

A Party distraught, demanding vengeance weapons from their leader. And if they can’t win the war, they will settle for burning down the town.

“Aw, princess on the steeple and all the pretty people

They’re all drinkin’, thinkin’ that they got it made

Exchangin’ all precious gifts
But you’d better take your diamond ring, ya better pawn it, babe
You used to be so amused

At Napoleon in rags and the language that he used
Go to him now, he calls ya, ya can’t refuse

When you ain’t got nothin’, you got nothin’ to lose

You’re invisable now, ya got no secrets to conceal.”

How does it feel?
Aw, how does it feel?To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?

-Bob Dylan