At 84, I feel like the boy who yelled, "But the Emperor has no clothes." Here is the smoking gun:
President Trump committed perjury while he took his oath of office.
If both wise Republicans and wise Democrats acquire the courage to recognize this fact, they will avoid the acute danger of letting President Trump believe he can do anything - and remain above the law.
Some Facts
Perjury is a statutory crime. This is a crime on which neither Republicans nor Democrats have focused their attention. Donald J. Trump committed perjury, he lied, when he solemnly swore to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
He had already exposed us to grave dangers: During the campaign, candidate Donald J. Trump, a non-politician, asked a dangerous foe to interfere in our elections. He asked Russia to help him defeat Hillary Clinton - a woman, no less...
Once elected, he has persisted on calling on Russia, Ukraine, even China, for help to win the next 2020 election. Ukraine refused and was penalized by withholding military assistance for months.
The central issue is that - aided and abetted by willing or unwilling assistants - President Trump persists in believing that it is OK to expose to grave dangers our national security and the sacredness of our electoral system .
Certainties
On July 27, 2016, Trump called on Russia to conduct a cyberattack on the American electoral system. In a videotaped plea that everyone remembers, he cried out: "Russia, if you're listening - could you find the missing 30,000 emails?"
Cyberwars are wars. Only more subtle than conventional wars. It is as if Churchill had asked Hitler to bomb London.
Five hours later, Russia delivered a first payload of email extracted (hacked) from Hillary Clinton's personal server. Parallels with the Watergate break-in are uncanny.
The difference is that Nixon did not personally order to break-in into the Watergate offices.
Some Effects
A clear-eyed assessment of the U.S. 2016 election is that "Putin won." And Putin's winning has had a wide range of effects: We do not specifically know how or why, but Trump did accept the evident Putin command emanated - perhaps personally but unmistakably through propaganda bots on the social media- to fracture the NATO Alliance, to withdraw from international Trade Pacts and the Paris agreement on climate control, to foment the ideological war against Islam, and instill the divisive fear of Latino immigrants - let alone the festering of race relations. Putin is a KGB master. Putin does not work alone; he has an entire state apparatus behind him.
Deep inside the United States, there is the acceptance of another likely Putin wish. President Trump's overt War on the Deep State is a war against our Intelligence Agencies, our first line of defense against foreign aggression, be it Russian or Chinese or Iranian or North Korean aggression.
The unparalleled danger is that - powerfully assisted by the Mysterious Moscow Mitch - we are going to be totally unprepared for the expected onslaught of perilous propaganda bots during the next 2020 elections.
What Has President Trump Accomplished?
If President Trump has done such a great job as he - and his staunch supporters - claim, why does he fear any opponent?
There are many reasons. He fears opponents, because he respects no one, and receives respect from no one. The fundamental one is that his words and actions benefit only himself, his family, and his friends.
The truth is that Donald Trump has bankrupted too many of the businesses he has touched. If he is not stopped in time, he will bankrupt America. Who believes that our stratospheric national deficit is sustainable?
The truth is that whatever promises Donald Trump has kept have been delivered at great cost. He has split the Republican Party; he is splitting America. If US Senators help him transform America into an autocracy, which is the only traditional outcome of his recent words and actions, they will themselves be the next victims. Inexorably, Donald Trump will gloat over the process of Senators destroying each other's fortunes and reputations, until the reputation of America herself will inevitably be soiled. Thus, did the Roman Empire collapse.
Our Founding Father studied history intimately and they tried to avert a repetition of such errors. Either we remember history, or we are condemned to repeat its errors.
President Trump Needs to Be Stopped for His Own Good
A look at his face while he held up his hand to swear his oath of office reveals a very unhappy man. Does not the weight of his lie show on his droopy face? Does not his tortured soul show in his spent eyes?
By general admission, Donald Trump has not had one happy day in the White House. August Senators, for his own good, thank him for his services - and ask him to resign.
Verbal Wrath Is the Only Defense that Donald Trump Has
Who will protect you against the expected verbal wrath from Donald J. Trump?
To stiffen your determination, there are a few considerations at your disposal. First, it is contrary to your own self-interest to tolerate a head of state who incites violence.
The effect of his words will evaporate as soon as you stand up to him.
Why do you assume that your constituents are under the spell of Donald Trump's vile words? Why do you assume that your voters are not proud Americans?
Ultimately, is not a noble retirement something to look forward to?
There Is Serious Work to Be Done
We talk too much. Lau Tzu had it right, "Those who know do not speak. Those who speak do not know." Let us stop talking, at least for a while: We have serious, important, urgent work to save our polity and to save our economy.
The horizon used to be bright for America. America used to be the "last best hope of earth". Dark clouds are gathering.
America always prevails over dark forces.
PS - Do you want to do something? Please sign my petition President Trump Committed Perjury While Taking the Oath of Office.
* Carmine Gorga lives in Gloucester, MA, the place where the Massachusetts Bay Colony was founded in 1623. He has been in love with America's ideals for decades. He knows a thing or two: He was born under Mussolini.
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