Speaking Of Russia . . .

Putin has given a speech demonstrating his awareness that the West has become an immoral, faithless, deracinated, and self-destructive cesspool. What makes his awareness truly profound is that he ties this into the ongoing efforts to establish global, hegemonic government unhindered by national sovereignty or borders. Like Trump, he is a man whose flaws can be overlooked if he gets these fundamental issues right, since all others pale in comparison.

Another Hurdle Overcome

The electors have met and delivered the necessary votes for Trump, despite relentless and petulant efforts to sabotage the election with terrorist threats as well as media hysteria over how the Russians "hacked" the election. On that particular score, we are supposed to believe that the election is tainted because the Russians helped Trump by leaking embarrassing information about Hillary Clinton in October and November. There are so many problems with this diatribe that it's hard to know where to begin:

• If voters had more information about Hillary Clinton, by definition they made a more informed choice.

• If any of the information was "fake" -- which hasn't been analyzed or explained yet -- this is no different from any other election season, when disinformation, lies, and propaganda are always part of the equation.

• There is no proof -- and no way to prove -- that any voters made their choice based on the leaked material. 

• There is no proof -- and no way to prove -- that the leaked material would encourage voters to choose Trump versus Hillary. Plenty of people voted for Hillary despite the leaks, and a good portion of them might have done so specifically because of outrage over those leaks.

• If the Russians were involved, this should be considered a good thing in the eyes of Hillary supporters, who hate Trump's nationalism and advocate a "borderless" world where we all participate to determine each other's destiny. If you're a globalist, you have NO basis to seek the sanctuary of nationhood now, so just shut up.

• Last but not least, anything the Russians did to hurt Hillary pales in comparison to what the establishment has done for the entire past year to tar, feather, and excoriate Trump every step of the way. 

The establishment is desperate -- not only to destroy Trump, but to salvage its own self-image as enlightened, legitimate, and in charge.

As an aside, it's getting rather tiresome hearing about how Trump hurts the self-esteem of women and girls. If anyone is truly concerned about this, where is the outrage over how females are routinely portrayed as sex objects in movies, music, and television? The angst over Trump is especially offensive when coming from the mouths of female entertainers; before you complain about the mote in his eye, remove the beam from your own.

I Will Not Assist Effort To Sabotage Election

Today an attorney colleague of mine out in California asked me how I felt about Trump's election. My response was mild but honest:

Good to hear from you again. I’ve never been much of a Trump fan, but at the same time I’m even less of a fan of the status quo. If I had my druthers a person of principle would be assuming office, but given the choices we had, I preferred Trump to Hillary because at least with Trump there is a chance of redressing existential dangers (e.g., open borders, needless belligerence toward Russia, a bubble economy addicted to low interest rates, etc.). The fact that the establishment so virulently opposed Trump actually made me think a little better of him, to tell you the truth. 

I’m sure we have different views on these matters, but I’ve never let political differences interfere with my friendships. Happy Holidays! 

In a second email she thanked me for my candor, but proceeded to ask if I would help a brewing legal challenge to prevent the electors from installing Trump as president, given the belief of many people that he is "unfit" for office. My immediate thought was "hell no," but as a professional and civil person, here is what I wrote back:

I’m afraid I don’t agree with you on this one.

People went to the polls on the expectation and understanding that the system works in a given manner, i.e., that the electors will act as instructed by the people of their respective states. To argue that the system will no longer work in this manner because those who are frustrated with the outcome have labeled the winner as “unfit” will do nothing to preserve the legitimacy of government, which is already under considerable strain. Indeed, such an effort will convince large numbers of people who voted for Trump that they were right; that the system is rigged against them; and most ominous of all, that no relief can be found at the ballot box. If the safety valve of elections is closed off, the growing steam of discontent will seek another outlet, and it might be explosive.

As I said before, though, I hold no ill will toward you for your differing viewpoint. Good luck on whatever argument you honestly believe in and want to pursue. 

I post this to serve notice to everyone out there that this isn't necessarily over yet. As I posted once before, there's many a slip 'twixt a cup and the lip, and the establishment hasn't even begun to fight.