Thread: One other gloomy thought for the evening: I can't recall where, but I read someone asking: how long will it take for us to rebuild the trust of other countries? Whoever it was seemed to think the answer might be a few years, or something like that.

Wrong.

2/ People in other countries were baffled when we elected GWBush, but we redeemed ourselves by electing Obama. Maybe that was just a momentary lapse, they thought.

But Trump?

Trust is trust. Imagine that you were in a marriage, and your spouse burned down your parents' home.

3/ Imagine further that this was not the result of e.g. being drugged with psychosis-inducing drugs, or something like that. No: your spouse ACTUALLY BURNED YOUR PARENTS' HOME DOWN. WHILE THEY WERE INSIDE.

4/ Now, imagine that s/he comes to you, all heartfelt apologies, and asks: how long will it take before you trust me again?

I think the only possible answer would be: I have no idea. Maybe never. Here are the divorce papers.

5/ Because, really, how could you POSSIBLY trust him or her again? Maybe you could, after decades of hard work, and a pretty convincing explanation of what happened and why it will never ever happen again.

But you couldn't be sure of that explanation before DECADES had gone by.

6/ That's what we have done. Our President is a corrupt tyrant wannabe who treats our allies with contempt while sucking up to dictators. He understands nothing and seems to imagine that that's a good thing. He has contempt for the rule of law and for democracy.

7/ And we elected him on purpose. There is no reason for anyone to think we won't do it again.

How can they possibly trust us? How can they have any confidence that we'll keep our word?

*I* wouldn't trust us, and I am *part* of us.

7/ The respect of other countries took decades of hard work and two world wars to build up. We have squandered it in four years. It will not return in the foreseeable future.

/Fin.