TRUMP INDICTMENT FATIGUE SYNDROME – DON’T GET IT!

By Ruth A. Sheets

By now, probably most of us are feeling worried, possibly overwhelmed with Donald Trump taking center stage again and again with his unamerican, anti-democratic actions and the legal responses to them.  Robert Reich, Labor Secretary under President Clinton, Professor at UC Berkley, and economic activist wrote about a dangerous condition he calls “Trump Indictment Fatigue Syndrome” (TIFS).  It is a condition that can bring on bouts of inaction, weariness, fear, frustration, anger, each individually or all at once. 

A fourth Trump indictment has been handed down by the Fulton County, Georgia prosecutor, Fani Willis.  The indictments are clearly serious because they are all about undermining our system of government, our way of life, but they are also a "true crime" story, the kind so many people love to watch, read, or listen to. A series of crimes have been committed, there are a massive number of clues that must be sifted through by the detectives and others involved, and the criminal is identified and at the end, prosecuted. I am thinking this could be an acceptable way for us all to look at what is going on, maybe even a way to make it less disabling and even activating.  The problem, unlike a TV episode or even short series, this one never seems to even get to the climax before some other impossible event happens.  It just goes on and on and the Trump indictments are like plot points that bring out more of Trump’s alleged crimes with reminders that this has never happened before, a president has never been indicted and that we are on untrodden ground. 

It is ridiculous for any human being to have been able to commit so many crimes in his life and get away with nearly all of them as Donald Trump has. That in itself is remarkable, but knowing that this particular human being was made President of the United States is even more startling.  While president he continued his crime spree, and there are a lot of people who want him back in the White House, indictments be damned!

The most despicable person to become president in my opinion was Andrew Jackson, the 7^th president.  He committed countless crimes against the American people, Native Americans and enslaved persons in particular, yet came off as the man of the people.  I guess Jackson fit the "white male hero" so well that what he did was considered "just faaan." (Translating Southern, fine)

Nixon used to be the second most appalling president on my all-time crime parade, that is until now.  Trump’s lying, insulting, threatening, manipulating, gaslighting, etc. never stop, and our media just love it. When any human being lies in public while in office more than 30,000 times about important as well as trivial things, and Trump did that all in only 4 years, something is wrong.  When there is a sizable portion of our population that wants to re-elect that rather ignorant authoritarian serial liar to our highest office, that indicates a society in trouble.

Since the 4^th indictment came down from Georgia on Monday, August 14^th, coverage of what the indictment includes, the 19 defendant players, and the 41 alleged crimes has been nearly non-stop.  Coverage of the horrific wildfires in Maui and the arrival of a tropical storm in Southern California are the only break from Trump and those are so heart-breaking they bring no relief.  

Then, on top of the newest set of charges, more revelations are delivered almost daily about some additional bit of information learned, a defense lawyer’s claims, a demand any trials be set far into the future, and Trump’s frequent threats, despite a judge’s order that he cease such threats.   

Judge Aileen Cannon of the stolen documents case is proving herself as ignorant of the law and inexperienced as everyone knew she was from the day she was assigned the case.  We all should wonder how she ever obtained a life-time appointment to any federal court, but no one has to wonder for very long.  The Trump Judge-appointing merry-go-round during his administration spun through a whole lot of young, partisan, pretty ignorant judges assisted by the Federalist Society, a shady ultra-conservative group that does not have the best interests of this nation at heart (or anywhere else).  The Republican Senate essentially approved whatever was sent their way, particularly the attractive ones.  I am guessing that since Trump needed a few women on board in case people properly called him a misogynist, he picked a few pretty, ones he could count on to rule in favor of Trump and his minions indefinitely.  So far those judges and justices are doing quite well for him, and we hear about it regularly.

News reports that do not mention Trump are rare.  Just as from before his 2015 escalator ride through to the present, it is almost nonstop.  Some now actually hint that these criminal indictments are serious and that Trump is in trouble.   They mostly will not say the word “lie” when Trump has clearly told one or ten, but are no longer quite so glowing in their coverage.  They still do interview Trumpers and Trumpettes who fondly display their general ignorance of our democracy, but it seems fewer of such interviews are being shared.  That number could rise as the campaign advances. 

It really is getting exhausting and rather repetitive and many of us are on the verge of coming down with TIFS.  This is an anti-democratic condition that people living in a democracy should avoid and for which the only cure is fair legal intervention.

I have been thinking about this condition for at least 8 years but over time the name of the “illness” has changed according to events.  At first it was “Oh God Not Trump Again Syndrome (OGNTAS).”  Than it evolved or rather devolved into the “What The ___ did Trump Do Now Blight” (WTFDTDNB).  I named the conditions for the phrases people moaned every time the national news hit the papers, airwaves, or internet.  

We really do not want to catch this debilitating syndrome.  Here are a couple of things that might help us all avoid TIFS and its debilitating effects as well as the various conditions brought about by listening to Republican candidates who have absolutely nothing positive to offer our nation should they ever get elected: 

• - First, limit the amount of time spent reading about, watching, or listening to the reports from Trumpland.  Walking away after the first 5 minutes each day is a good start.  
• - Get the basic facts related to the various indictments.  That can help with filtering out things that are off target and definitely not worth your time. 
• - remember that Nothing, and I mean nothing serious is going to happen now until Trump shows up to the Georgia courthouse in the next few days and it is unlikely extreme quantities of new information will come out before then, but the 5-minute recap would catch it if it does.
• - minimize how much you want to see Trump with his entourage walking into the courthouse in Atlanta.
• - play a game with the five minutes, getting a different news source each day and note the slants, the hype, the number of times they have to replay Trump's blurts and whines. I have heard as many as 5 blurts in about 6 minutes, I think it was on MSNBC.
• - Talk with others as a check to see if you or they have been infected.
• - Go for walks, read some fluff, take several deep breaths every time you think of the orange monster, - -
• - Sign petitions to be sure the upcoming trials are televised.
• - Vote in every election you possibly can for people who have a well-developed moral compass whose needle always points to rights for all people, honesty, respect for the beings that share this planet with us, and the other positive virtues.

A lot of Republicans would love it if Democrats, progressives, and caring people in general were to become infected with TIFS as the Trumpers and Trumpettes work to spread the affliction.  They are banking on Democratic and Independent apathy and we don’t have to practice it for them.  We don’t have to catch TIFS, but we will need strategies and determination to avoid it.  Good luck to all of us/US.