Charlie Trump in the Desert [View all]

[H2O Man]

“Mr. and Mrs. America, you are wrong. I am not the King of the Jews, or a hippie cult leader.”
Charles Manson


A while ago, I went to the movies with my sons. It was only the second time I've been in a movie theater since 2000, as I tend to be selective in what interests me. My boys told me that I'd like this flick, because it would remind me of events from my youth. The movie is Tarantino's “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” Strange, strange movie that is worth seeing.

On the ride home, they asked my opinion of Manson? I said that I have never cared for anyone who wants a band of obedient followers, who punishes anyone who questions him, who is a sexist and racist, who confuses himself with God, who rants about the need for a race war in the United States, and who tries to spark that violent race war. Other than that, Charlie was just another cowardly, paranoid asshole.

What did I think of Vincent Bugliosi's “Helter Skelter” prosecution theory? Well, I think he did a good job overall. He was laying out a script that the jury could follow. There was a lot of information that wasn't brought out, in part because of the legal system's rules on introducing evidence, and partly because Mr. Bugliosi needed to focus on to get convictions.

A week later, the younger son brought me a new book by Tom O'Neill, “Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties.” It's an interesting read, but it's not what I want to discuss here. Nor do I want to talk about Manson. But I do want to talk about another individual who seeks obedient followers, seeks to punish anyone who questions him, who is a sexist and racist, confuses himself with God, and who gets excited about a race war in the USA that he is trying his darnedest to spark.

Now, in case you can't guess who I mean, let's look at a couple more clues. Like Charlie, this person's being was severely damaged in his formative years – though it is doubtful either would have cured cancer if their childhoods and youths were different. Both crave media attention, and think they can fool people by spouting crazy shit. Yet, neither could be mistaken for normal or well-adjusted, no matter what words came out of their mouths. One last clue: while both liked to threaten people, neither could win a fair fight, and thus depend upon zombie cult members to do their dirty work.

Now, a much more important book for current times is the second edition of “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump.” It's an updated version with 37 mental health professionals with outstanding credentials, explaining why Trump continues to pose more of a danger to our society. This, too, is a topic I've explored here several times.

Here, I have attempted to identify – in a subtle manner – some curious personality traits that Trump has in common with Charlie. And that's because both of the books I've mentioned speak to the inevitable path that sociopath cult leaders take when they are under increasing tension that they believe has the potential to undercut their power. Their presentation becomes increasingly unhinged.

This includes their being saturated in unrealistic conspiracy theories that identify themselves and their loyal followers as the select, and their opposition as less than human. It either doesn't occur to their followers that the exact opposite is true, or they are too afraid to disagree. Stupid and cowardly isn't a good combination. The more they agree with their leader, the more irrational that leader becomes. The leader speaks increasingly in a way that promotes his followers tendencies toward violence.

In the Manson Family case, of course, the results were a series of murders, including several that various members were convicted of. Charlie thought he could beat the rap by claiming that he personally wasn't involved, and that he never told anyone to kill anyone else. He was, of course, lying.

Looking back, it is possible to see that if certain people – including those who were employed in law enforcement – had taken action earlier, it is possible, even very likely, lives could have been saved. Lots of people recognized that Manson was dangerous. And that includes people that should have recognized the path he and his followers were taking.

Lots of people recognize how dangerous Trump is today. Thirty-seven mental health experts are warning us what path he is going down. They understand a sociopath under pressure poses risks to society. It's time for Congress to take greater steps to put him in check, and recognize the nation cannot wait for the November, 2020 election. There's more than enough material for them to write an impeachment script.