Kakistocracy in Action

Trump is my Friend

I do not know Donald Trump. Most people do not know him but everyone has an opinion of him. The President may not know himself very well. We cannot know how well he knows himself any more than most of us know ourselves.

The  emotional response to Trump is reminiscent of the high emotion of religious conflict of Northern Ireland, or of any of the other such countless conflicts from the Crusades, Thirty-Years War, or the obscure Nagorno Karabakh.  Our species is, after all, not very logical or unemotional.

I accept that my support for Trump may be emotional, but I would like to think it is based on something more pragmatic than emotion.  Perhaps this is the reason. The Enemy of My Enemy is My Friend.

The Enemy of my Enemy is my Friend

Know Thyself

The ancient Greek aphorism “Know Thyself” is the first of the three maxims in the forecourt of the Temple at Delphi. The other two are “Nothing to Excess” and “Surety Brings Ruin.”  The aphorisms of ancient people certainly seem to be logical admonitions. I hope the President is a student of ancient wisdom but he doesn’t seem to be.  Nevertheless, being President doesn’t require an encyclopedic knowledge of of such minutiae.

Accepting the wisdom of the ages is a logical reason to support Donald Trump, and it is a good defense when somebody challenges your decision. In spite of the Internet, mass media, and all of the other modern reasons that we deem ourselves to be superior, human wisdom has not materially advanced during the last 2,000 years. Certainly a lot of wisdom has been lost because no one wrote it down. It doesn’t matter because there are wise people now writing wise books, which repeat what has already been thought but not preserved in writing.

What has been written, currently or anciently gives us enough justification to support President Trump.

Arthashastra – अर्थशास्त्र

The Arthashastra is an ancient book about how to run a government. Written by many authors over several centuries, its ideas relate to human nature as much today as they did thousands of years ago. It accepts without reservation that individual states are sovereign. The rejection of sovereignty is at the root of our current global struggle.

Book VI is entitled “The Source of Sovereign States.”  It describes a good country:

Possessed of capital cities both in the centre and the extremities of the kingdom, productive of subsistence not only to its own people, but also to outsiders on occasions of calamities, repulsive to enemies, powerful enough to put down  neighbouring kings, free from miry, rocky, uneven, and desert tracts as well as from conspirators, tigers, wild beasts, and large tracts of wilderness, beautiful to look at, containing fertile lands, mines, timber and elephant forests, and pasture grounds, artistic, containing hidden passages, full of cattle, not depending upon rain for water, possessed of land and waterways, rich in various kinds of commercial articles, capable of bearing the burden of a vast army and heavy taxation, inhabited by agriculturists of good and active character, full of intelligent masters and servants, and with a population noted for its loyalty and good character;–these are the qualities of a good country.

The part about taxation jumps out, and by that standard alone the United States is a good country.

Friends and Enemies

In a day when kings presided over relatively small kingdoms with friendly or not-so-friendly kings nearby, a wise king knew who his friends were even if he didn’t like them very much. Chapter II of Book VI, of the Arthashastra is where we get our aphorism, “The Enemy of my Enemy is my Friend,” although it is not stated so simplistically. Here is how the Arthashastra explains it.

The king who, being possessed of good character and best-fitted elements of sovereignty, is the fountain of policy, is termed the conqueror…

The king who is situated anywhere immediately on the circumference of the conqueror’s territory is termed the enemy.

The king who is likewise situated close to the enemy, but separated from the conqueror only by the enemy, is termed the friend (of the conqueror)…

In front of the conqueror and close to his enemy, there happen to be situated kings such as the conqueror’s friend, next to him, the enemy’s friend, and next to the last, the conqueror’s friend’s friend, and next, the enemy’s friend’s friend…

That foe who is equally of high birth and occupies a territory close to that of the conqueror is a natural enemy; while he who is merely antagonistic and creates enemies to the conqueror is a factitious enemy.

He whose friendship is derived from father and grandfather, and who is situated close to the territory of the immediate enemy of the conqueror is a natural friend; while he whose friendship is courted for self-maintenance is an acquired friend.

The definitions of acquired friends and natural friends are reminiscent of grade school where students grapple with the meaning of friendship. If we are wise. we should now grapple with the definition of enemy.

When Trump won the election of 2016, there was a great outcry of anguish. Many then and now consider Trump a conqueror. They hate his personality. They believe a mainstream press that labels Trump a Nazi-sexist-homophobe-white-supremacist-systemic-racists.  The people who pay attention to those accusations are  citizens and voters. Does that make them an enemy?

Who is the Enemy?

There are many enemies, just as there are many friends. Unfortunately it is often difficult to know the difference.

Machiavelli cynically observed that friends are people you can control and who depend on you.  Conversely one could argue that friends are the ones who control you and make you feel good about it. Think about who controls you and makes you fell good about it.

Enemies, people you simply don’t like, can be factitious (created by humans) enemies, not really enemies. The real enemy may be the one you cannot not see, an idea.

Will you accept as one definition of enemy, one who seeks to deprive you of your Liberty?

The people of Hong Kong can see the enemy; they know the enemy. We naive Americans watch our network news programs and are told how terrible Donald Trump is. They want to make him the enemy. But are they the enemy? Donald Trump says they are.

Bernie Sanders is a Socialist, but he says he is not really a socialist. He is a “Democratic Socialist” without telling anyone what that means. Superficially Bernie Sanders appears to be a shallow politician who seeks personal power by offering to give free stuff away to a greedy electorate.

Richard D. Wolff is a Socialist, but he is also a leading Marxist scholar. He seems to think there is a way to integrate a redefined Marxism into our ostensibly Capitalist world. Maybe Bernie Sanders is a political manifestation of Wolff’s thinking but there is little evidence that Bernie is that smart.

Are Bernie Sanders, Richard Wolff, and other socialists the enemy?  People who know them say they are very nice people. Perhaps it is not they who are the enemy, but their ideas.

Ideas can be a powerful enemy because they persist long after the people espousing them are dead.  Later, others using the ideas translate them into action, often leading to a loss of our personal Liberty. By that definition, ideas become the enemy.

Capitalism versus Socialism or Friends versus Enemies

This commentary is not a dissertation on Capitalism versus Socialism. It’s a commentary about friends versus enemies.

Our U.S. Constitution was created several hundred years after the Dutch and English fought bloody wars over their notions of capitalism. Karl Marx is credited with thinking about socialism but many others before him imagined a better world with ideas of utopia and happiness. Our Declaration of Independence, arguably a preamble to the Constitution, talked about Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. The pursuit of happiness is important, but happiness cannot be guaranteed. Happiness is too ephemeral, fleeting, subjective. Each must pursue it individually. Friends can help. Enemies don’t care about your happiness.

Our founding documents do not mandate any particular economic model.  The Constitution has been amended to eliminate disgusting economic practices like slavery. Laws and regulations continually try to balance citizens’ rights against the interests of unrestrained free market capitalism.  Can we tolerate monopolies that destroy the ability of small capitalists to thrive?  That is not justice.

The allure of unrestrained socialism, tried in other countries, has always ended in economic disaster, so empirically socialism, even so-called democratic socialism, is a bad idea – an enemy. Restrained socialism is already with us.

An economy is like a great ocean liner. If the engines are simply stopped but not reversed, it will go many miles before stopping. Eventually the passengers will notice that the boat is going very slowly and demand that the engines be started. Recessions come and go.  Money is created. Inflation happens. Politicians get bad ideas and make mistakes. Others may be smarter, but they seem to get out of government sooner than the parasites who stay. Citizens are lazy and stupid but they vote.  Stupidity is its own reward. Such persons are factitious enemies.

The Preamble  to our Constitution states its purpose: Establish Justice, Insure Domestic Tranquility, Provide for the Common Defense, Promote the General Welfare, Secure the Blessings of Liberty to Ourselves and Our Posterity.

Those who would deprive us of any of the five Constitutional Objectives are our enemies.

Is justice served by trying to oust an elected president before he even takes office ?  Or engaging in a sham impeachment? Those who advocated such injustice are the enemy.

Is rioting in the streets and governments’ failure to protect property rights insuring domestic tranquility?  Those who encourage it or who do not condemn it are the enemy.

Trump Defends the Five Objectives

Trump has declared himself a champion of the five Constitutional Objectives. While cities burn, he has condemned it, not defended it. Deregulation and reduced taxes have spurred the economy. Congress has appropriated more money for the military. Trump agrees with and has taken credit for that.  His Space Force will prove to be important to the Common Defense as military assets of potential enemies are deployed in the space around our shrinking globe.

Trump’s most consequential contribution to the cause of Liberty has been the appointment of three Supreme Court justices and hundreds of Federal Judges who take a more constructionist view of the Constitution.  Those who argue for anything except for strict constructionism are arguing to allow judges to perform the duties and responsibilities of legislators  and the people. Judicial activism may be a way to achieve a fast victory but how can voters hold unelected judges accountable for their deeds or misdeeds?  In this respect, Trumps choices of judges fulfill his responsibility to Secure the Blessings of Liberty to Ourselves and Our Posterity.

Who said The Enemy of my Enemy is my Friend?

It’s Time to Defend Trump

Trump may be defeated in the upcoming election. If he is reelected, he will be in office for only 4 more years. Either way, he won’t be on the national stage for very long.

Nevertheless, it’s time to defend Donald Trump, not necessarily the man but the ideas.

I do not know Donald Trump.  He may not know himself.  He says things that I think are silly.  Some people call them lies.

All of that will be gone soon but the ideas will persist:  fake news, mass disinformation, deep state, corruption.  These are all bad ideas.  They are the enemy.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Dexamethasone is not like Hydroxychloroquine that caused such a freak-out when the President seemed to promote its use as a treatment or preventive against  Covid-19.

Hydroxychloroquine is used to prevent and treat acute attacks of malaria. It’s use in Covid-19 is based on immunosuppressive  and antiautophagy properties that theoretically could benefit people with Covid-19. That’s why doctors tried it with varying success.  As with many drugs, timing is a critical factor in whether it is useful of not.

Dexamethasone is a long acting corticosteroid used to slow the body’s natural and often inappropriate response to things that cause inflammation. There are shorter acting steroids such as prednisilone that have a similar action. None is a cure or preventive for Covid-19, only a treatment when appropriate. There is no substance or drug that will prevent Covid-19.  Once infected, a person’s immune system is the only cure.  A vaccine, when available, will cause the body’s immune system to produce substances to recognize and destroy the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19.

Press Coverage of President Trump’s Infection

After it became known that the President was administered dexamethasone as part of his treatment for Covid-19, the legacy press exploded with uninformed comments about the severity of his infection.

Networks make an appeal to authority by having medical correspondents on the air to explain what different treatment options may mean.  One such correspondent is Dr. John Torres who appeared in numerous reports on  NBC following the announcement that President Trump contracted the virus. In one report, Dr. Torres cited NIH guidelines for using dexamethasone.  He said. “The fact that he got dexamethasone throws up a red flag,”

The press loves red flags.

Some people seized on his explanation of the guidelines as proof that the President was in worse shape than he claimed. That’s not what the doctor really said. A red flag means “ask more questions.” But he did mention the NIH guidelines, and failed to clarify that the panel “may modify these recommendations.”  You be the judge.

“Based on the preliminary, unpublished results of the RECOVERY trial, the Panel recommends dexamethasone 6 mg daily for up to 10 days in patients with COVID-19 who are on mechanical ventilation (AI) or those who require supplemental oxygen but who are not on mechanical ventilation (BI). The Panel recommends against using dexamethasone to treat patients with COVID-19 who do not require supplemental oxygen (AI). The Panel may modify these recommendations based on the final published results of this study and the results of other ongoing studies.”

When guidelines are cited by an authority, many uninformed people, as most voters are, assume that the use of a drug outside the guidelines constitutes some kind of transgression. Conversely, if the guidelines are followed, then the condition of the patient must be as severe as the guidelines would suggest. Both are wrong. The guidelines are wrong. Every patient’s immune status is different.

Dr. John Torres Explains the President’s Treatment

Guidelines are Subject to Revision

Doctors are still learning how to treat Covid-19.  A lot of mistakes were made in the beginning, particularly waiting too long to start patients on steroids until they required ventilation. Remember the panic about not having enough ventilators?

Medical science will certainly rewrite the guidelines for the use of dexamethasone in treating the sequelae of Covid-19. Other steroid drugs may be more appropriate in specific cases.  Or none at all.

Doctor Paul Marik, Chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School, in Norfolk, VA has published a protocol for treating Covid-19 that deserves attention. In it, he correctly observes that Covid-19 is a steroid responsive disease, but timing is critical.  Again he is correct.

You can download a copy of the protocol HERE

Be aware that the protocol is a suggestion based on available research. It will change as more information becomes available. Certainly the NIH will be slow to publicize current observational results.

For the time being, we are confident that the President’s physicians are aware of everything in the protocol and are weighing whether any of it or none of it applies to President Trump’s unique circumstances. We think he got the steroid at an appropriate time. Doctors can argue about which corticosteroid should be given at what time and in what dose. After all, they are practicing.

Constitution Day in the United States has become a bit of an afterthought. The Constitution is who we are as a people. We should celebrate it, not Cristóbal Colón.

Apple does not add Constitution Day to the calendar that pops up on iPhones.  A Google search of U.S. Holidays only shows the big ten U.S. holidays – the ones Congress  designated as federal holidays.  Another, Inauguration Day is an 11th that’s celebrated once every 4 years on January 20.

Who Celebrates Constitution Day?

Constitution Day is celebrated across the country on November 26 to commemorate the adoption of the Constitution… in India.

It’s called Samvidhan Divas, also National Law Day.

Indian Constitution

India has a great constitution. They borrowed it from other constitutions: Parliamentary government from Britain; Method of election of President from Ireland; Impeachment of the President from the United States; A few nice things from South Africa, Canada, France, and Australia;  5-Year Plans from the old USSR; Suspension of Fundamental Rights during an emergency from Germany; and Article 21, which they got from Japan – “procedure established by law.”

Procedure Established by Law

We have something similar to Procedure Established by Law.  We call it “Due Process,” but the Indians purposely left our version out of their constitution. Our version,  Due Process, says that if you are accused of breaking a law, you have access to courts and maybe even a trial by jury.  The law of which you are accused of breaking might even be declared unconstitutional and the whole law thrown out. In other words, due process means you might get justice.

India

“No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law.” (Article 21. Indian Constitution)

India cannot end police brutality. It’s legal.

United States

“… nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law…”  (Amendment V, Constitution of the United States)

Police brutality occasionally happens in our Republic, and due process can fix it.

Notice that we also have property rights along with life and liberty.

Lawless, Corrupt, and Sclerotic

In his 2015 book, By the People, Rebuilding Liberty without Permission, Charles Murray says that the government our founders gave us to protect our rights is no longer functioning. The Constitution has been discarded. Pretty strong language.

In the preface to Part I entitled,  Coming to Terms with where we Stand, he summarizes what has happened after the Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787

1. “The founders’ Constitution has been discarded and cannot be restored, for reasons that are inextricably embedded in constitutional jurisprudence.
2. Aspects of America’s legal system have become lawless, for reasons that are inextricably embedded in the use of law for social agendas.
3. Congress and the administrative state have become systematically corrupt, for reasons that are inextricably embedded in the market for government favors.
4. The federal government is in a state of advanced sclerosis for reasons that are inextricably embedded in the nature of advanced democracies.”

Inextricably embedded means that the solutions are beyond the reach of the electoral and legislative processes. We can’t just vote them out. They resist change because too many people live off the giant federal government.

He covers a lot of territory in his book. Too much to discuss here. One small part serves to illustrate the problem.

Due Process Denied

The regulatory government has grown so large that there is a regulation for almost everything. If you break one of those rules, an unelected federal bureaucrat (or public servant depending on your point of view) may assess a very large fine or even seek jail time.  You certainly can fight it in court because you have due process.  But wait, the lawyers say it will cost a million dollars to fight it all the way to a district court, or to the U.S Supreme Court. You don’t have that much free cash at the moment so you do what most people do. Negotiate something you can live with short of going to jail. The regulators win.

What to Do?

Charles Murray has some suggestions in his book but even he says such ideas are a long shot. Like Civil Disobedience.

It took a long time to build the regulatory state and, if it is to be repaired, it will take a long time and a populace demanding that it be done.

Constitution Day, a federal holiday with time off from work and an adequate budget, might refocus the nation’s attention to our founding document. A more robust Constitution Day will never become reality until people who are deeply concerned about the rights of the minority and the electoral college start pressing to have a day that really focuses our attention on the Constitution, not Citizenship Day.

The last time Congress fiddled around with Constitution Day in 2004, they created the “Constitution Day and Citizenship Day” from a previous Citizenship Day celebrated in May.  The Act they passed mandates that educational institutions government agencies promote the history of the American Constitution on September 17.  Of course Congress did not appropriate any money or any other incentives.  Very few people know about Constitution Day, except some dedicated people who maintain a website, Constitutionday.com.

Get Rid of Columbus Day

Get rid of Columbus Day and make Constitution Day a 4 day weekend to show it is something special. It could run from the first Friday after September 13 until the following Monday – Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday.   Everybody off from work, spending money and traveling for 4 days.  Fifty years from now, everyone will look forward to Constitution Day and nobody will ever remember a holiday for the explorer who enslaved native people in the Caribbean.

Trivia Questions

How does the Constitution spell   “choose?”  How many times. Does spelling count?

Which words are misspelled?

Which sections of the Constitution have been changed by amendments?

…House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot…

The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker…

6 times-  chuse

5 times -choose