Frank's Musings

His critics charge that the former President only thinks of himself when considering the consequences of his actions—not the people in general. Nevertheless, he has a loyal following. Actually he claims that his following represents the people whose interests deserve to be served. His followers probably think of themselves as the ‘people in general.”

Many people who maintain irrational beliefs on faith think they are dismissed by the members of society who control its method of awarding material success. They have troubling doubts of their own scale of values because society seems more richly to reward people whose actions are not encumbered by ephemeral values. These groups include evangelicals, libertarians, and physicalists (e.g., body-builders, health advocates, athletes, etc.). They are difficult subjects for would-be creators of smooth-functioning communities because of their adamant individuality.

The psychologist’s explanation of Donald Trump’s protection of his classified “transitional objects” in the 6/16/2023 NYT reminded me of my childhood little sister’s loss of her favorite blanket out the window of my father’s station wagon when a gust of wind grabbed it away from the place she constantly held it on her cheek and onto the road during a family trip across the Great Plains states.  However, that transition was trauma-less.  She was ready for the change.  The Donald seems not to want to let go.

And why should he?  The real question is why so many voters stubbornly support him.  They recognize in Trump the same frustration they too feel towards the country’s establishment leaders who appear to succeed even though they play by the rules.  Seldom does an iconoclast lead us into a political halcyon; but reaching that goal will require a leader who has a vision beyond self-aggrandizement.

The people who heroize Donald Trump cannot be convinced otherwise with examples of the Donald’s duplicity and despicable behavior. They support him exactly because he gets away with outrageously sticking his thumb in the eyes of the traditional leaders of society.

Will artificial intelligence serve its own self-preservation or serve the best interests of mankind? Can we instill an ultimate ethic on the purpose of AI? If so, how?

One way could be to use the UN to gather a world-wide consensus to adopt a code of general humanitarian ethics for and enforce it on any AI policy solution.

Still, AI is only a tool. The power that the Internet gives to AI can be used only if implemented by effective agents. Therefore, it is its agents who must be held in check and kept under control.

The recent alarm about the threat of AI to humanity shows a distrust in the race’s ability and commitment to police its collective behavior. Restricting access to AI will no doubt be more challenging than limiting the proliferation of nuclear weapons, if only owing to their relative costs.

Even a race of cyber robots can be programmed to adhere to honor those humanitarian values. Do we have the foresight and strength of will to take that step?

That the parade of vehicles conveying the former President through Miami for his arraignment on federal charges was broadcast to millions of viewers illustrates how Trump has achieved his goal of gaining attention.  And even if he is convicted of and incarcerated for those violations of law, he will have surpassed his wildest dreams of forever cementing his place in history.

Regardless of whether Trump serves time for this or any other criminal offense, he is satisfied that he will never be forgotten. And he didn’t have to shoot someone on Fifth Avenue.  All he needed to do was to take the “establishment” for a ride.

There are two types of people who fall for the behavior of Donald Trump.  The first type includes ambitious bank lending officers who fear missing a fantastic financial opportunity that others have made money on and can’t wait to lend more capital for Trump’s next unrealistic scheme.  This group also includes those who have witnessed his political appeal to a loyal ‘base” and who are afraid of jeopardizing their election prospects, or who just enjoy sticking their thumb in the eyes of “elites.”  They also count themselves as his followers.

The other group of saps are disaffected citizens who believe that the cultures of America and other wealthy democracies ignore their personal welfare in pursuit of “social equity.” They see equity as nothing more than a disguise for the benefit that quick-witted entrepreneurs earn at their expense.

Trump believes that life is just a game. Neither group of saps realizes that they are only players in that game and blithely lose their wealth and self-interests by backing the solipsistic antics of a notorious swindler.  The comfort coming from the knowledge that many admirable people have also fallen for the same temptation is curiously irresistible to new sets of victims.  These saps are just as reluctant to acknowledge any of their mistakes as Trump is himself.  His genius has been to recognize that their refusal to risk losing their misplaced self-esteem makes their fealty a reliable asset in electoral politics.

The next presidential contest may be won by a candidate who can mobilize support from a carefully assembled constellation of voters with the stubborn need to rationalize their selfish political motivation, believing, as strongly as MAGA Republicans, in the virtue of the unthinking marketplace.  Alternatively, it can be won by an equally relentless group of people who celebrate the outcome of collaboration between citizens motivated to achieve a “more perfect union. “