9 August—In January 1900, when Theodore Roosevelt was Governor of New York, elated after craftily forcing New York State Republicans to withdraw support from a corrupt money man, he wrote to a friend, “I have always been fond of the West African proverb: ‘Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.’”

Roosevelt went on to be elected Vice President that year and, after President William McKinley was assassinated, acceded to the presidency in September 1901. He went on to use the big-stick aphorism quite often and to very good effect. And he actually practiced what he preached, deftly using American military muscle to complement—make that back up—diplomacy to enforce the Monroe Doctrine, among other things.

Compare that with “IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M GOING AFTER YOU.” That’s what thrice-indicted-and-waiting-for-the-fourth former President Donald Trump posted—in all caps—last Friday on his not very popular Truth Social vanity website.

Considering the well-documented history of Donald Trump’s physical bullying as a big pubescent adolescent and the fortune he spends on lawyers as a big fat senescent adolescent, there’s no doubt that he meant—means—every syllable of his threat. The question is, can he follow through?

Unfortunately, Trump has a faithful following of pea-brained (as well as totally brainless) volunteer thugs who revere him as the messiah and are in all events champing at the bit for any excuse to wreak havoc; committing crimes in the interest of Trump-Christ is a holy war for those reprehensible morons. They bring to mind Hitler’s Brownshirts. Because that’s precisely who and what they are and because their Führer knows precisely how to play them.

When Trump-Christ is President again, he’ll absolve them of all the sins they’ll have committed in his name. So that’s yet another reason Trump must not be reelected.

Donald Trump is certainly no Theodore Roosevelt, and, unlike the 26^th POTUS, Trump is no credit to the Republican Party. In fact, he’s a definite discredit and embarrassment. To the party, to the nation, to humanity. Come to think of it, the Trump-intimidated Republican Party of the last eight years is no credit to the Republican Party. To call it an embarrassment is an understatement. But it is beyond any doubt a discredit to itself and to America . . .