Before the heart of this blog post, I’ll share a picture of one of my cats. Hermione is so hard to photograph as she always runs from the camera, I had to snap this one of her basking in the sunlight the other morning. It was a chilly morning here in East Texas, and all the cats were seeking the warmth of the sun coming through the front window. Ironically, all the other cats moved, but Hermione stayed.
Also, don’t forget to enter the giveaway for my short story, Escaping Raul. You can enter the sweepstakes HERE for a chance to win one of the 25 copies being given away. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. The sweepstakes will end on Oct 20, 2017 11:59 PM PDT, or when all prizes are claimed.
Really, I should probably stop listening to podcasts as I do my morning exercises. The report from The Daily on Thursday was pretty scary as it related to North Korea and our tenuous relationship with leadership there.
Or no relationship as it turns out.
New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, recently had a rare opportunity to visit North Korea, and on the podcast he shared the stark difference between that trip and one he took in 2005. In the earlier visit journalists were allowed to stay in a hotel and had more access to government officials. In this latest visit, he was held in guarded Foreign Ministry Compound. The people who guided Kristof on visits outside the compound were Foreign Ministers, and Kristof got a sense that the ministers were wanting to shield him from the hard-line officials in government and military. In essence, Kristof told The Daily host, Michael Barbara, that there seemed to be a great divide between the foreign ministers who are more in line with diplomacy and dialogue and the North Korean government and military officals who are more inclined to go to war.
In a conversation that Kristof had with North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, it was clear that hopes for opening a dialogue for a diplomatic solution are not there.
The Minister stated clearly and without hesitation that the main reason is because of the insulting and threatening comments by Trump.
When I heard that, my heart sank.
Can people not see what Trump is doing to our country and to the world?
How dare he put millions of lives at risk just to satisfy his narcissistic need for control and power.
And if you don’t think Trump has a narcissistic personality disorder, consider the 7 major signs of the disorder as outlined by Dr. Jean King on the website Partners in Prevention
- No empathy – unable to care about others unless for selfish gain
- No remorse – no concern about the impact of their behavior on others
- Belief that they are entitled – believe that they hold rights that are above others
- They are deceptive – a lie is not a lie, it’s a mechanism to get what they want
- Two Faced – the public persona is 180 degrees from what they really are
- Emotionally dependent – needs emotional support and admiration of others
- Uses battering for control – whether physical or emotional or professional, actual abuse or threats intimidate others
I think it is high time that we stop electing people with mental and emotional health issues. It’s a sticky discrimination issue, I know, but the safety of the world depends on steady leadership on the highest levels.
The final note that Kristof made in the interview on The Daily was how Trump is eroding the United States position as a world leader. And if it is not the U.S. what country steps into the vacuum? China? Russia?
What lies ahead is not the world in which I want my grandchildren to grow up.
Normally on Fridays I would end with a few jokes to lighten the mood, but what is happening with Trump is so scary, I want people to take it seriously and leave the blog thinking about the ramifications of his behavior in office.
Also worth your time and consideration is this report from NPR News on the unusual press conference held by John Kelly, the White House Chief of Staff. It was also covered by other news sources, with most of the journalists wondering why the press secretary turned the entire conference over to Kelly.