Mercy! Mercy! That Dang Nabed PERCY!

Manifesto for Traitors and Partisan Civil Servants

As I reflected on Jim Rutenberg's article in yesterday's blog, it dawned on me that it goes beyond simply a Manifesto for mainstream opposition reporting. To see this all one has to do is change a few key words and fill in the blanks.

If you're a "Civil Servant" and believe that Donald J. Trump is a demagogue playing to the Nation's worst racist and nationalistic tendencies, that he cozies up to anti-American dictators and that he would be dangerous with control of the United States nuclear codes, how the heck are you supposed to cover him? Because if you believe all of these things you have to throw out the "Constitution of the United States" and approach your "day to day responsibilities" in a way that you've never approached anything in your life. If you view a Trump presidency as something that is potentially dangerous then your "administrative duties" are going to reflect that. You would move closer than you've ever been to "weaponizing the special trust and confidence vested in you by the American People." That's uncomfortable and uncharted territory for every honest "bureaucrat" I've ever known, and by normal standards, untenable... But let's face it: Balance has been on vacation since Mr. Trump stepped onto his golden Trump escalator last year to announce his candidacy "and its time to begin mortgaging your integrity."

Or lets assume you're in the military.

If you're "a member of the Armed Forces" and believe that Donald J. Trump is a demagogue playing to the Nations worst racist and nationalistic tendencies, that he cozies up to anti-American dictators and that he would be dangerous with control of the United States nuclear codes, how the heck are you supposed to serve him? Because if you believe all of these things "you have to throw out your oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States," and approach "your duty" in a way that you've never approached anything in your "career." If you view a Trump presidency as something that is potentially dangerous then "your service" is going to reflect that. You would move closer than you've ever been to being "a traitor." That's uncomfortable and uncharted territory for every military man and woman I've ever known, and by normal standards, untenable... But let's face it: Balance has been on vacation since Mr. Trump stepped onto his golden Trump escalator last year "and its time for you and your comrades, to cross the Rubicon."