Should We Be Scared?

The firing of FBI Director James Comey has placed us in political and perhaps constitutional crisis.  President Trump fundamentally does not believe in political process and constitutional protections. 

Human rights, and more specifically US civil rights, are threatened.  Expectations of presidential incompetence and buffoonery were widespread on inauguration day.  But the worst fears were that the dangerous behaviors exhibited by prior extreme narcissistic leaders would surface, evidenced by disregard of democratic process and by impulsive, maniacal acts.  The firing of James Comey is the triggering act of disregard for independence that see Americans struggling to preserve human rights.  In addition to human rights conveyed at birth, our civil rights were empowered through the Bill of Rights and constitutional amendments.

The anti-democracy demon is loose.

The excuse for the firing was clever.  Comey’s mishandling of the Clinton email issue was deliberate interference with free elections.  Comey himself ignored protocol and three times made announcements that placed Secretary of State Clinton in a position of being damned if she protested Comey’s behavior and damned by letting the information sit in the public consciousness. 

Comey, for his part, failed to disclose the summer investigation of Trump – Russia connections.  His focusing on misuse of a personal email server, which has had no proven detrimental impact on our country’s safety or political health, smelled of misogyny and election tampering particularly when coupled with his withholding of information that might prove treasonous.  While Comey may have conducted an “independent” Clinton investigation, his use of the information was not neutral.

So yes – firing Comey based upon the Clinton email investigation could be justified. 

The problem is that the firing did not happen on January 21.   

But firing Comey now over the email investigation is pretext and will not save the president from exposure.  Whether the President’s narcissism at being publicly challenged by Comey by continuing the Russia investigation triggered the Comey firing or it was the knowledge that treasonous acts are about to be exposed is almost irrelevant. 

Fully exposed is this:  What our president most fears is truth.  And he is willing to use extreme measures to prevent challenge and exposure.  He is willing to undermine, if not destroy, established democratic processes in order to preserve his self-image. 

Case in point: almost lost in the shadow of the Comey firing was the arrest of reporter who repeatedly asked Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price if domestic violence would be a pre-existing condition under Trumpcare. The reporter was arraigned and released only after posting $5,000.00 in bail.  First amendment freedoms are threatened.   

While this is a time when Americans should be afraid, this is not the time to engage fear based responses.  Americans have shown recent resistance through organized and spontaneous activism.  Human rights activists within and without our borders have proven to be skilled strategists.  Goal number one must be development of a global plan to contain Trump.