February 2024 – Site Title

The Perfect Storm?

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Terrence Bradley took the stand again on Tuesday but contrary to belief, he didn’t deliver much. The defense team gave it their all but they couldn’t break through the tough exterior that Mr. Bradley presented in court. They needed damning evidence to disqualify Fulton County DA Fani Willis and Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade from the case but none was forthcoming. It was more than a frustrating day for them.

What had started out as a storm in a teacup is now brewing into a full-blown tornado. Fani Willis and Nathan Wade had a romantic relationship there is no question about that. However, they are denying that Willis profited financially from hiring Wade to work on the Trump case. Star witness, Bradley, seemed to have lost all recollection of what he had said, what was conveyed to him to the point of even asking that the questions be repeated over and over again. Which begs the question, “Speak English Much?”

All the President’s Men and one woman, make that ex-president, could not bring their runaway horse to a standstill. Trump and his allies, a dozen of them, were charged with violating the Georgia state racketeering statute when they tried to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia by advancing fake electors and going so far as to pressure state officials into reversing Trump’s defeat.

If DA Willis is disqualified and removed from the case, the prosecution of Trump and his allies would be thrown into limbo. The case would be handed over to a state entity called the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia to find someone to take over the case. It would be a complicated and complex not to mention time-consuming affair and that is exactly what the defense team is counting on. If only Mr. Bradley had given up the goods but no luck there.

Mr. Bradley not only came across as a reluctant witness but one who had developed amnesia all of a sudden. There was no budging him into saying what the defense team wanted to hear. “I was speculating and I never witnessed anything. It was speculation,” he said and his inability to confirm anything meant there was no new evidence to add to whether there was a conflict of interest on Willis part.

A brohaha if you ask me. There was nothing to substantiate the allegations that the power couple were involved romantically before Ms. Willis hired Mr. Wade and that was the whole point of getting Mr. Bradley to take the stand again. Looks like it backfired on them royally. Closing arguments will resume on Friday but don’t hold your breath!

A Nightmare in the Making

A nightmare is defined as “a very unpleasant or frightening experience or prospect.”

And the nightmare is getting real! Donald J. Trump has won South Carolina’s Republican primary beating Nikki Haley in her home state and it seems that a rematch between Trump and Joe Biden is inevitable. Trump for his part took the stage and declared, “You can celebrate for about 15 minutes but then we have to get back to work.”

“Orange Jesus” is a nightmare in the making and it seems that it will go on for quite sometime from the look of things. Mr. Trump seems to have an iron grip on the Republican Party not to mention his supporters and if that’s good or bad is besides the point. The fact is the man has 91 felony counts against him, add to that his incoherent babbling which makes you want to grit your teeth and the role he played in inciting the January 6 riot at the Capitol should be enough to stop him in his tracks but he is moving at high velocity towards to the White House and this should scare the bejesus out of anyone but only in America folks. He is looming large and hissing at the fringes and still there is no end in sight and that is scary to say the least.

The man with the unruly hair, the copious orange tan and with his stupidity in tow is heading into Super Tuesday on March 5 with the confidence of a bull in a China shop as if he has already won the race. If he loses, he will throw his temper tantrum, cry foul and maybe even demand a recount. He’s the same 5-year-old in a grown man’s body. Nothing has changed there. When he doesn’t get his way, he will stick his thumb in his mouth, stand on his head and scream bloody murder for all to hear.

Ron Kaufman, a Republican presidential strategist had this to say:

“There isn’t anyone who doesn’t perceive Trump as being the nominee, including Nikki Haley. Whether you like it or don’t like it, everyone understands he is the perceived nominee.”

That right there ladies and gentlemen is the stuff nightmares are made of!

“They said all dreams come true, they forgot to mention that nightmares are dreams too.” Unknown

LOL!

It has been said that laughter is good for you. According to the MayoClinic people, it can: “Stimulate many organs. Laughter enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles, and increases the endorphins that are released by your brain. Activate and relieve your stress response.”

That said, it lifts up your face, puts a happy smile on your whole being and on days like today when nothing much is happening and it is cloudy and windy outside, it helps to bump up your mood.

Here are some quotes to get you laughing and put a smile on your face as it did on mine.

“The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.” Woman’s Day

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“My life feels like a test I didn’t study for.” Unknown

By the way I feel like that all the time!

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“Life is not a fairytale, if you lose your shoe at midnight, YOU’RE DRUNK.” Unknown

Probably from some poor girl who didn’t get her guy!

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“Sometimes you lie in bed at night and you don’t have a single thing to worry about. That always worries me!: Charlie Brown

Yup that’s me right there!

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Dear life, when I said, “can my day get any worse It was a rhetorical question not a challenge.” Unknown

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“The brain is the most outstanding organ. It works 24/7, 365 from birth until you fall in love.” Sophie Monroe

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“I am yours, no refunds.” Unknown

This one is scary! You mean I can’t return you and get a better model?!!

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“Love is a lot like gas, if you have to force it, it’s probably sh**!” Stephen K. Amos

And with that, have a great day.

E Pluribus Unum

I listened to the New Hampshire speech that Vivek Ramaswamy delivered with such fury and passion and it was riveting to say the least. Especially the part about “E Pluribus Unum” which means “Out of Many One.” It was a battle cry none the less and one that was meant to capture our attention and it did. Donald Trump stood behind him grinning from ear to ear probably thinking, “We’ve got this brother!” as rumors of a potential Veep position for the skinny man with a big voice went cascading everywhere.

It was a grand speech but who is this man with the big voice and hand movements resembling that of Trump? He’s the one who ended his presidential campaign after a disappointing result in Iowa’s Republican caucuses and quickly jumped on the band wagon, the Trump band wagon that is. He now seems to be vying for VP spot and from the looks of it his pandering to Trump and calling him Commander-in-Chief might just do the trick.

Flattery will get you everywhere and if that is the case than Vivek has it in the pocket folks. When asked if Trump was considering the former biotech executive as his pick for VP by right-wing talk show host, Glen Beck, Trump had this say:

“Well, I think he’s great. Look, anybody that says I’m the best president in a generation….I have to like a guy like that. I can’t get upset with him….I think he’s very good. I think he’s really distinguished himself.”

Does that mean a “yes” in Trump fashion?

Then he went on to say, “He’s starting to get out there a little bit, he’s getting a little bit controversial. I got to tell him: ‘Be a little bit careful. Some things you have to hold in just a little bit, right?’

Right, this bit of advice coming from the man who is in the habit of opening his mouth and sticking his foot in it. However, Vivek went on to say:

“We believe in the rule of law,” and he said it with such conviction with the man who is known for breaking every rule in the book as far as election integrity goes and much more standing behind him. Citizen Trump is facing 91 felony counts after being indicted four times within the last year. Way to go Vivek, hide your head in the sand why don’t you?

It was a fiery speech but he sounded like a numero uno salesman selling something he didn’t believe in. He raised his voice at intervals and it was impressive but his message was clear, “We need a Commander-in-Chief who will lead us to victory in the war.” How does that phrase go, “Not for all the tea in China?”

In his Third presidential debate, then presidential hopeful, Vivek Ramaswamy, had this to say, “What I would tell Bibi is that Israel has the right and the responsibility to defend itself. I would tell him to smoke those terrorists on his southern border and I will be smoking the terrorists on our southern border.”

They would make a good pairing as President and Veep but it would be more like, “E Pluribus Anus,” than the other way around!

DA Fani Willis Dilemma

Fulton County District Attorney, Fani Willis brought her indictment charges against former President Trump and it went like this:

“Defendant Donald John Trump lost the United States presidential election held on November 3, 2020. One of the states he lost was Georgia. Trump and the other Defendants charged in this indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump.” Furthermore, “That conspiracy contained a common plan and purpose to commit two or more acts of racketeering activity in Fulton County, Georgia, elsewhere in the State of Georgia, and in other states.”

The 41-count indictment involved Trump and 18 others which included such big names as Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, Sidney Powell, Jeffrey Clark and John Eastman. The indictment also charges Trump and his co-conspirators with conspiring to commit election fraud. The crux of the matter lies on two presumptions. First, the indictment rests on state law charges which means Trump can do little little to derail it even if he were to return to the White House because clemency power does not extend to state offences.

Secondly, if the trial is televised and it probably will be because Georgia law allows cameras in the courtroom, citizen Trump will be front and center and on full display. This might not be to his advantage as “Orange Jesus” is known for opening his mouth and inserting his foot in it.

It was looking like a slam dunk case for all purposes if it wasn’t for Fani Willis doing the unthinkable. She is accused of having a romantic relationship with special prosecutor, Nathan Wade, a member of her team which brings about ethical misconduct on her part and may be enough to derail the case and have her removed from the State’s election interference case. Trump and his allies, co-defendants, are claiming that the relationship is a conflict of interest and Willis should be removed from the case and that the case is also politically motivated.

If that isn’t a right royal mess for Ms. Willis, her combative nature on the witness stand and her bombastic testimony with her screaming, “I’m not on trial here!” got our attention, that along with, “When I travel, I always pay cash,” testimony. There were almost no receipts to show for money changing hands and that in itself is a dilemma my lady.

Barbara McQuade, a former U.S. attorney had this to say:

“Fani Willis made a terrible decision to date Nathan Wade, and that may bring ethics issues for her, but her testimony dispelled any kickback scheme that would disqualify her. Nothing about this effects the fair trial right of Trump and co-defendants.”

However, Doug Weinstein, a Georgia lawyer wrote, “I respect her and her office, and putting the Trump trial at risk in this fashion, even if she did nothing wrong, demonstrates poor judgement.”

It seems Ms. Willis has got herself in a pickle this time, perhaps she should take this phrase to heart, “Never eat where you sh**,” and things might just work out better for her the next time around.

The Cinderella Effect

A friend sent this a few days ago and it got me thinking.

“If life doesn’t feel like a fairytale,

If every beautiful sentence seems like ridiculous madness to you…..

Take your existence by the hand,

Be the artist of your own future,

Don’t wait for toads to turn into princes, or pumpkins into carriages,

Remember that everything that was conquered with effort, smells of joy that knows no limits,

Be your own fairytale.” Unknown

I would love to take that last line to heart but fairytales are made of fairy dust and all things nice. The guy gets the girl, a pair of glass slippers has the power to snare a prince and a fairy godmother who orchestrates the whole shebang! How far from the truth can it be? These days things just don’t work that way. I am not sure if it did work that way in Fairytale Land but make-believe is just that, you can work magic into anything and parade it as the truth and have people swallow it lock, stock and barrel!

These days you pick someone out of a dating site, whichever it might be. Then begins the excruciating task of deciding if it’s a “yes” a “no” or it lands in the maybe pile. It all boils down to as the saying goes from the Frog Prince, “You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your handsome prince.” Not appetizing is it? And even then, you might just walk away with nothing to show for it and that is the reality of it.

Life is not a fairytale. The girl doesn’t always get the guy in the end and there is no walking off into the sunset and happily ever after either. More often not the shoe doesn’t fit and heartbreak follows in its wake. I could go on and on but I am going to stop right here and lighten the mood a little. I hope these quotes help to keep you company as we go through life searching for that needle in the haystack.

“Someday my Prince Charming will come. Mine just took a wrong turn, got lost and is too stubborn to ask for directions.”

That hasn’t changed much, you know what I am talking about if you’ve ever been in a car with a guy and he refuses to admit that he’s lost. Nothing new there.

I love this next one from Ms. Oprah Winfrey.

“Mr. Right’s coming, but he’s in Africa, and he’s walking.”

Ms. Carrie Bradshaw had a lot to say on this topic.

And just like that:

“A relationship is like couture. If it doesn’t fit perfectly, it’s a disaster.”

The most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you find someone to love the you that you love, well, that’s just fabulous.”

“Sometimes we need to stop analyzing the past, stop planning the future, stop figuring out precisely how we feel, stop deciding exactly what we want and just see what happens.”

“As we drive along this road called life, occasionally a girl will find herself a little lost. And when that happens, I guess she has to let go of the coulda, shoulda, woulda, buckle up and just keep going.”

Don’t despair. As the Fairy Godmother said:

“Even miracles take a little time.”

If all else fails,

Ladies,

Please stop wasting your time looking for Mr. Right.

Just find Mr. Left and drag that sucker to the right!

Keep Going

The path ahead is unclear. It is scary. It is often filled with obstacles that we have to cross to make it up that mountain. We find ourselves on our way and then we take a tumble and we find ourselves not back to square one but somewhere in between and that is where I am now.

The weekend was filled with uncertainties and all my good intentions seemed to have flown out the window. I thought I was doing so well only to find that being on my way, moving on from the here and now is a long process. It doesn’t happen overnight and neither does it happen in a few days, a few weeks or a few months. It is an ongoing process which involves falling, picking yourself back up and having the courage to say, “Here I go again!”

“When you walk in the fire, you start becoming fireproof.” Hiral Nagada

I spent the weekend looking for excuses as to why I CAN’T do this and that is often the case with me. It is easier to look for excuses than to move on. Fear is another factor that plays into my inner being and that little voice within, the one that acts like a little kid keeps tugging and says you are not capable of making it to the other side. However, there is this other voice that refuses to give up and if given the chance, it will become a deafening roar that pushes me to my limits and lets me know that there is strength, unbeatable strength within and all I need to do is stand back up and start moving. Just remember that it will get worse before it gets better it says and that is the truth.

It takes time, it takes effort and it takes hard work to get to the top of the mountain and there will be times when I will take a fall and land where I don’t want to be, lost in my own excuses of why I can’t move on. Acknowledge but don’t get too comfortable where you are. It is no man’s land and you want better so stand back up and look towards that open door and go through it because failure is not an option.

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.” Mary Ann Radmacher

Also remember that failure is a choice, standing still is not an option and walking away from things that keep you from achieving your goals is the right thing to do no matter how painful it is. Let go of things that don’t serve you and make the commitment to keep going and you will arrive at where you need to be. My mission for this week is to keep moving, one step at a time and to keep going.

“No matter how bad things are right now.

No matter how stuck you feel,

No matter how many days you’ve spent wishing things were different,

No matter how hopeless and depressed you feel,

I promise you won’t feel this way forever.” Unknown

Here’s a story of hope. Last year, I uprooted a peony bush because it was growing too close to a fence and its growth was being stunted. I decided to move it to a smaller area where I thought it would thrive. There was a risk that it might not survive the process at all. All through winter, it looked like it had died. A week ago, I noticed that it was sprouting! Today, when I walked out the front door I noticed that new leaves were forming and it was budding and there were five buds on this tiny plant. Perhaps, it is a lesson from nature that even in the deepest darkest of times when we think all is lost, life is working its magic to show us that patience wins out and “better” is on its way. If all else fails, remember that it is not Amazon Prime, the delivery doesn’t happen in one or two days!

IT TAKES TIME.

Two Old Men

Both men are old, Biden is 81 and Trump is 77 years old. Both are suffering from cognitive decline in one form or another but if you listen to Fox News, it is Biden who is in his geriatric years. Both are battling to take the reins of the highest office in the land, one is currently there and wanting another four years whereas the other is giving his all to regain control of the White House which he lost and still hasn’t accepted cognitively that it was won legitimately and with no election interference. We look on in dismay or more specifically in terror as the election year moves on at a glacial pace as both men show us in more ways than one that neither one of them is the best choice and we need younger and more vibrant personalities to fill that space at the top of the tier.

Nonetheless, we are smack dub and in the middle of a geriatric year of elections. It has been an eye-opener so far and promises much more in the form of why “two old men” should not run for the highest office in the land.

Let’s look at some of Mr. Trump’s gaffes through the years.

His most famous was the word, “Covfefe.” POTUS tweeted this in May 2017, “Despite the constant negative press covfefe,” and the world sat up and took notice. Not because it was something prolific but because the word does not exist. There was a mad dash to unscramble what it meant and we later found out that it was a mistake and it was meant to be, “coverage.” Much ado about nothing indeed!

Then there was the time when Trump delivered a speech marking the 9/11 attacks and it went like this:

“I wrote this out, and it’s very close to my heart, because I was down there and I watched our police and our firemen down at 7/11, down at World Trade Center right after it came down.” He meant 9/11.

More recently, he confused Nikki Haley with Nancy Pelosi and praised Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban as “the leader of Turkey.” Shades of Biden?

Another faux pas which points to Mr. Trump’s state of mind is his September 15 speech in Washington when he warned, “that America was on the verge of World War II,” which ended in 1945.

Then on 14 September, Mr. Trump went on to say in his no nonsense and kingly fashion at a rally in South Carolina, “I’ve been saying, look, if they’re not going to pay, we’re not going to protect, OK?” And then he went on to say that he would encourage Russia to attack Nato members he deemed financially delinquent. If that doesn’t speak to his mental state, I don’t know what does!

After a NY judge ruled Thursday that jury selection will begin on March 25 with no delays in the hush money trial, Trump again called it an election interference ploy saying that he is stuck in court instead of being on the campaign trail which is all a lie. He does not need to sit in court day in and day out. His words were, “I’m honored to sit here day after day on something that everybody says the greatest legal scholars say it’s not even a crime.” The comment “smacked of entitlement to being above the law, which prosecutors and political opponents have long accused Trump of harboring.”

According to Ian Hughes, “Politicians who live in an angry narcissistic fog pose a clear threat to democracy and peace, and Donald Trump is a classic illustration of what this means in practice.” Not only that, “People like Trump with narcissistic personality disorder are driven to live out their lives by damaging others and pursuing their grandiose destructive dreams because they are psychologically incapable of coming to terms with the ‘fire and fury’ that lie within. Add to that the advancing years and you’ve got something to contend with.

Both men have had their share of geriatric moments but Mr. Trump is ahead in that respect. Can we trust either one of them to take up the reins of the highest office in the land? Whoever takes office should have a clear head, a steady hand and an unwavering propensity to lead in the right direction. The way I see it, Biden comes off looking like a spring chicken when compared to Trump. While “stupidity” reigns supreme in Trump’s world, Biden is calm, collected and presidential, faux pas aside. Moreover, he is a gentler version of what the White House needs when compared to the “know-nothing,” “unhinged, “crass,” and “liar” Trump!

Milestones

“Remember to celebrate milestones as you prepare for the road ahead.” Nelson Mandela

A milestone is defined as “a significant event in your life.” It could be another birthday, a special day in your life, a marriage, an anniversary, the birth of a baby or even a new chapter in your life. It is auspicious and it should not be taken lightly because milestones show us where we stand and how we are progressing through this journey called life.

Sometimes you have to work hard to arrive at that milestone and at other times you have no control over it. It arrives as scheduled and you have no say in the matter. Take birthdays for example, it has nothing to do with how you get there but each year it arrives without fail and you are left staring at a new year ahead with the old one behind you. You can choose to rejoice, you can moan or you can totally ignore it as a friend of mine does each year. It is a more than a chore for him. Whatever the case may be, you’ve reached another milestone and life goes on from there.

“Today is a milestone, it tells you how far you’ve come. Keep learning, keep trying, keep accomplishing and keep venturing on through your journey.” Unknown

What are the important milestones in your life?

In mine it was the first time a boy asked me out on a date and I got my first kiss under the stars. It was beautiful and filled with innocence and I learned that “boys” found me attractive and that put a smile on my face. I had ventured out of my tom-boyish days and was blossoming into a young woman with the world at my feet. It was a wonderful feeling.

The next milestone was when I got my first paycheck. It was a paltry sum but I’ll never forget that feeling of walking on air that it gave me. More than that, I knew that I was on my way to bigger and better things!

Getting married was an important milestone. I was finally an adult and I had a life of my own. Even though the marriage broke up many years later, it taught me that I am fully capable of dealing with whatever life throws my way.

The birth of my son was a wonderful milestone. I felt like I had come full circle and it taught me that as a parent I had responsibilities and there were lessons to teach and learn without a playbook.

Divorce was a milestone I would rather forget. Hurt, pain, a waterfall of tears and holding on were the terrible lessons of walking away from a love that didn’t quite work out and it was one of the hardest things I had to do. It taught me that life was far from over and I had to move on from where I was and look towards the uncertain future and I am still learning to do that.

Losing someone close to me was a horrific milestone. Actually there were several of those. First response was, “I can’t deal with this!” I did find out that I was fully capable of dealing with this and much much more. Just when you think you can’t, life shows you that YOU CAN. The strength within is unbeatable and it was those times that strength reached out and showed me a better way. It too was a milestone to be treasured.

Milestones are important markers of life. Some are wonderful, some we would rather forget but no matter what, milestones keep showing up and they will keep doing so because it is a part of life. They are there to show us our development as individuals, how far we have come, where we have to go to complete our journey and what we have to do to get there. Enjoy them, accept them, learn from them and be grateful for all of them.

“Be thankful for all of the small victories as you work toward large milestones as it’s not the endgame that matters most but how you got to where you are.” Unknown

And

What a beautiful thing it is to be able to stand tall and say, “I fell apart, and I survived.” Unknown

The Bully

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

“Bullying is the result of an unequal power dynamic – the strong attacking the weak.” Maria Konnikova

Trump is toxic, he is dangerous and he is a bully through and through. He has used the bully pulpit to his advantage and used his power to belittle those he deems not worthy of compassion or kindness. The man is ruthless when it comes to spewing insults. His motto is, “Talk first, think later,” and this approach has got him into hot water more than once. It seems his toxic nature is part and parcel of his makeup, character wise I mean. Furthermore, he is sorely lacking in how a President should present himself because everything comes down to one thing and that is himself. It is not about the people but about loud-mouthed, asinine Trump and that is why he goes from one gaffe to the next all the while with that Cheshire cat grin plastered on his face.

According to James Barber, who published a well-known study on presidential character, a good President should have the following leadership qualities:

A strong vision for the country’s future.

An ability to put their own times in the perspective of history.

Effective communication skills.

The courage to make unpopular decisions.

Crisis management skills.

Character and integrity.

Wise appointments.

An ability to work with Congress.

Furthermore, he added that Presidents must wear many hats and they “must somehow symbolize what American citizens believe to be the essence of their country. They must represent what is valued now and in the past. But even more importantly, they embody the direction of America’s future.”

Do you see Trump doing any or all of the above? He is first and foremost a playground bully who marches to his own drumbeat and that fact alone makes him more than dangerous. One thing he is good at is name-calling and he does it with such prowess that it is mind boggling. From “Crooked Hillary,” to “Pocohontas,” for Elizabeth Warren, to “Shifty Schiff,” for Adam Schiff and “Sleepy Biden,” for Biden but that is just touching the tip of the iceberg. Mr. Trump does not hold back when it comes to throwing punches of the unsavory kind. He takes it all in stride and moves on like the master manipulator he is.

He is single-handedly changing the characteristics of a President but not for the better. ”From referencing a television host’s menstrual cycle to using vulgar phrases to describe opponents to his encouragement of violence at rallies, Trump’s insults have known no bounds and have been a dominant storyline of the campaign,” and continue to be so even today. Other candidates have used insults and mud-slinging but not to the extend that “Orange Jesus” has. ”His speeches have crossed lines, pushed fact checkers to their limits and incited backlash – all the while further stoking the passions of his most ardent supporters.” Just look at his recent debacle where he said he would “encourage” Russia to attack any NATO country that does not contribute 2% of its GDP to the alliance’s coffers. It was a reckless threat which has contributed to fierce backlash in Europe. Does he care? What do you think?

Add to that his constant posturing like a peacock, running his mouth like a loose faucet and his GOD complex mentality and you’ve got a bully at his very best alas to the detriment of the country. Biden’s mental acuity is concerning but Trump’s playground antics and all out temper tantrums are far more terrifying if you ask me.