Failed Trump leadership exposed in the irreverant Bible photo-op

Republican voters who continue to intimidate others on social media are blind to how Donald Trump is the mirror reflection of the tyrannical lables they use in their relentless right wing propaganda posts, whereby they want to intimidate the "resistance".  This echo opinion published in the Berlin, New Hampshire Conway Daily Sun newspaper is a reality check on the Trump cult that refuses to see his failed, tyrannical and negative leadership. My only critique about this well written essay is to raise the question about whether or not Trumpzi's cult will ever read this metaphor and, if they happen to do so, will any of them understand it?

Trump's Bible photo-op during the George Floyd protests in Washington DC, will cost him. "One protester was shoved hard in front of us, stumbling backwards before slamming the back of his head on the road."

Opinion echo written by Charles Gywnne "Chuck" Douglas III, an American politician, a Republican, a jurist, and trial lawyer. He is a former United States Representative from New Hampshire and a New Hampshire Supreme Court Associate Justice.

(So, let's imagine......and then a reality check)  A couple of weeks ago in Central America, one of the dictators was irritated by the thousands of peasants marching in the streets, demanding justice, in front of the Palacio Presidencial, the leader's paid by tax money home, in the capital city.

One night, before a curfew went into effect, El Caudillo Maximo (the maximum leader) called on his Minister of Defense and his Minister of Justice to clear the protesters away.

Being “yes men” they humored El Caudillo and called on national and local armed forces to clear the area so the leader did not have to go to his basement bunker in fear of his people again.

The Minister of Defense said he would “dominate the battlespace” and rid it of peaceful protesters. They used tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets and flash bombs to terrify the crowd without notice.

After the area was cleared, there was no objection from the leader’s party, the Partido de Sapos (party of toads), but some former generals did speak out about how bad this would look to North Americans.

However, El Caudillo stood triumphant with a jutting jaw like his revered Benito Mussolini and even silently held a random Bible in the air as if waiting for the hymn Onward Christian Soldiers to be sung at the great military victory long denied him.

(Reality check....) No, that really didn’t happen in a banana republic but right here in our capital, Washigton DC, on June 1, in Lafayette Square, long used as a public forum for expression of free speech and peaceable assembly.

The damage caused on earlier nights was not on the agenda of those on June 1, protesting the lack of equal justice for black and brown Americans. (The damage was done by Trump's photo-op!)

What led up to the clearing on June 1, includes a presidential tweet referring to civil rights protesters as “THUGS.” On May 31, President Donald Trump, as an astute observer of the exercise of First Amendment rights, said in a tweet “These people [the protesters] are ANARCHISTS. Call in our National Guard NOW.” He also did his best imitation of Juan Peron when he tweeted on the need for “overwhelming force” against them.

Earlier on June 1, Trump told the nation’s governors in a conference call to “dominate your city and your state.” He then promised that in Washington “we’re going to do something people haven’t seen before.” 

True to his (evil intentioned) word, Trumpzi amassed hundreds from the Secret Service, Park Police, D.C. National Guard and military police from the Army’s 82d Airborne Division.

At 6:30 p.m., before the curfew was to take effect, gas masks were donned and the police and military force rushed the assembled protesters without warning or provocation.

A reporter from CBS affiliate WUSA9 showed pictures of canisters of Skat Shell 37mm projectile and Spede Heat CS tear gas used on the crowd.

Trumpzi, of course, (as ususal, like General Colin Powell said....he lies) and denies that tear gas was used, calling it fake news.

On June 4, several of those injured (both white and black) as well as Black Lives Matter D.C. filed suit against A.G. Barr, President Trump and others alleging that “the officers hit, punched, shoved, and otherwise assaulted the demonstrators with their fists, feet, batons and shields. The police action ‘injected danger into what had been a calm protest as those in the street fled mounted police to avoid being trampled, struck by projectiles or gassed.’”

Law enforcement officers also made unprovoked assaults on journalists in Lafayette Square who were reporting on the protests. The reporting of these journalists spread the voice of the demonstrators to the world.

Mr. Kishon McDonald is a black plaintiff and former member of the U.S. Navy. He was repeatedly struck by the shields of multiple officers leaving bruises on his body. Tear gas stung his eyes and he alleges in federal court that he “witnessed the concussion grenades exploding with enough force to put holes into the ground.”

Mr. Garrett Bond is a white man living in Maryland, who came to Lafayette Square to support the Black Lives Matter protest triggered by George Floyd’s cruel murder.

Not a typical “THUG” in the presidential lexicon, Bond is an Eagle Scout train in basic first aid who brought first aid supplies with him. The only announcement he heard was that a curfew would take effect later at 7 p.m. and then he heard explosions and saw people fleeing in all directions. He went to aid a man with a lower lip pierced by a rubber bullet when they both had to flee baton-wielding officers.

Another peaceful white demonstrator plaintiff is Keara Scallan who lives in Washington’s Northwest section. She was hit by rubber bullets and saw tear gas thrown at her resulting in bruises and cuts.

Our macho Caudillo on June 2 tweeted his victory saying “Many arrests. Great job done by all. Overwhelming force. Domination.” If Twitter existed 200 years ago King George III could have uttered identical words after the battle of Bunker Hill.

The America of our founders set up a system of governance based upon the force of law, not the law of force. Only a constitutional illiterate like Trump could talk about “dominating the space” occupied by peaceful protesters.

Secretary of Defense Esper (pronounced yessir) showed his lack of guts when he humored Trump and brought in military police from the 101st Airborne.

Now, he and the President have been repudiated by former general and Trump Chief of Staff John Kelly and former Trump Secretary of Defense General Jim Mattis. They have stood up for First Amendment rights to assemble, speak and protest.

As General Mattis said: “When I joined the military, some 50 years ago, I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Never did I dream that troops taking that same oath would be ordered under any circumstance to violate the Constitutional rights of their fellow citizens — much less to provide a bizarre photo op for the elected commander-in-chief, with military leadership standing alongside.”

As the Declaration of Independence observed “A prince whose character is … marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.”

I want our Bill of Rights back. Trump can keep the bananas.

Chuck Douglas is a former N.H. Supreme Court Justice and a former Republican member of Congress.