A Menacing Speech
Jan. 20, 2017
GRANTED that I have a whole bunch of super senses that you don’t have; but you don’t need a shnoz with a gazillion smell receptors to figure out what was happening in Washington today.
And, of course, watching TV in the safety of my living room here in Rhode Island, I wasn’t able to use my signature gift of smell to get a handle on Donald J. Trump’s first day as commander-in-chief.
But what I could see with my baby-seal eyes and hear with my velvety soft ears was enough to understand that this was one awful inauguration.
That scowl on DJT’s mug, as he was waiting to get sworn in…. Well, if I’d seen that look on someone who MyMan and I encountered during one of our frequent walks around Newport, I would have immediately steered us – with a powerful tug of the leash – to the other side of the street, and quick.
And if you didn’t see that look of pure menace in his high-definition close-up, then just a couple of lines from the growling, snarling inaugural speech he gave in his first few minutes as president of the United States of America, would give anyone the shivers, even somebody like me, with a rich, thick winter coat.
Here’s a sampling, courtesy of a transcript I got from the Washington Post website this afternoon.
I know, you’re wondering: What’s Phoebe, a twice-adopted, part-Yellow Lab, part-Husky, mixed with dash of Missouri hound dog and some eye of newt (Nice Shakespearian touch, huh?) know about the Internet, much less politics? There’s a lot I can explain at a more appropriate time. And, to be frank, there’s a lot about life that will always be a mystery, even for a sensitive philosopher-pooch like me.
I digress.Here are some excerpts from the maiden speech by what New York Times’ columnist Paul Krugman calls the “Trump-Putin Administration”:
We’ve enriched foreign industry at the expense of American industry; subsidized the armies of other countries, while allowing for the very sad depletion of our military.
We've defended other nations' borders while refusing to defend our own.
We must protect our borders from the ravages of other countries making our products, stealing our companies and destroying our jobs.
This American carnage stops right here and stops right now… from this day forward, it's going to be only America first, America first.
… The bedrock of our politics will be a total allegiance to the United States of America, and through our loyalty to our country,
Scared me.
Here’s why. And let me say that I don’t mean to be pedantic (I could have said “petantic” for chuckles, but I’m trying to be serious).
Note how he was baiting us with the idea of “The Other.” Blaming the “small group” of greedy politicians standing behind him on the inaugural platform for all the nation’s ills; accusing other countries of stealing “our” companies.
As a dog, I know all about that pack-mentality stuff, and believe me, it’s not the best part of dog tradition. It’s deep in our genes. I’m at my worst when another dog dares to walk by my house, or the Postlady actually gets onto the porch to deliver the day’s bills. Arf. Woof. Can’t help myself. Centuries and centuries and centuries of worrying that The Others will pull a fast one on our pack.
I say this even though I’m regarded as “sweet.” Everyone who meets me says so. “Oooh, what cute eyelashes: she's so sweet.” Even the vet who looked me over after I was shipped to Rhode Island as a stray puppy from Missouri wrote in my medical chart: “Sweet dog.”
So it’s not good to taunt about the danger of The Other. Not good for usually sweet dogs or mostly nice humans.
And what’s going on with that “loyalty” and “total allegiance” stuff?
You can beat it into us; or you can let it happen.
But loyalty gotten the wrong way will come back to bite you.
Dogs know.
GRANTED that I have a whole bunch of super senses that you don’t have; but you don’t need a shnoz with a gazillion smell receptors to figure out what was happening in Washington today.
And, of course, watching TV in the safety of my living room here in Rhode Island, I wasn’t able to use my signature gift of smell to get a handle on Donald J. Trump’s first day as commander-in-chief.
But what I could see with my baby-seal eyes and hear with my velvety soft ears was enough to understand that this was one awful inauguration.
That scowl on DJT’s mug, as he was waiting to get sworn in…. Well, if I’d seen that look on someone who MyMan and I encountered during one of our frequent walks around Newport, I would have immediately steered us – with a powerful tug of the leash – to the other side of the street, and quick.
And if you didn’t see that look of pure menace in his high-definition close-up, then just a couple of lines from the growling, snarling inaugural speech he gave in his first few minutes as president of the United States of America, would give anyone the shivers, even somebody like me, with a rich, thick winter coat.
Here’s a sampling, courtesy of a transcript I got from the Washington Post website this afternoon.
I know, you’re wondering: What’s Phoebe, a twice-adopted, part-Yellow Lab, part-Husky, mixed with dash of Missouri hound dog and some eye of newt (Nice Shakespearian touch, huh?) know about the Internet, much less politics? There’s a lot I can explain at a more appropriate time. And, to be frank, there’s a lot about life that will always be a mystery, even for a sensitive philosopher-pooch like me.
I digress.Here are some excerpts from the maiden speech by what New York Times’ columnist Paul Krugman calls the “Trump-Putin Administration”:
We’ve enriched foreign industry at the expense of American industry; subsidized the armies of other countries, while allowing for the very sad depletion of our military.
We've defended other nations' borders while refusing to defend our own.
We must protect our borders from the ravages of other countries making our products, stealing our companies and destroying our jobs.
This American carnage stops right here and stops right now… from this day forward, it's going to be only America first, America first.
… The bedrock of our politics will be a total allegiance to the United States of America, and through our loyalty to our country,
Scared me.
Here’s why. And let me say that I don’t mean to be pedantic (I could have said “petantic” for chuckles, but I’m trying to be serious).
Note how he was baiting us with the idea of “The Other.” Blaming the “small group” of greedy politicians standing behind him on the inaugural platform for all the nation’s ills; accusing other countries of stealing “our” companies.
As a dog, I know all about that pack-mentality stuff, and believe me, it’s not the best part of dog tradition. It’s deep in our genes. I’m at my worst when another dog dares to walk by my house, or the Postlady actually gets onto the porch to deliver the day’s bills. Arf. Woof. Can’t help myself. Centuries and centuries and centuries of worrying that The Others will pull a fast one on our pack.
I say this even though I’m regarded as “sweet.” Everyone who meets me says so. “Oooh, what cute eyelashes: she's so sweet.” Even the vet who looked me over after I was shipped to Rhode Island as a stray puppy from Missouri wrote in my medical chart: “Sweet dog.”
So it’s not good to taunt about the danger of The Other. Not good for usually sweet dogs or mostly nice humans.
And what’s going on with that “loyalty” and “total allegiance” stuff?
You can beat it into us; or you can let it happen.
But loyalty gotten the wrong way will come back to bite you.
Dogs know.
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