Yesterday in Manhattan, Donald J. Trump, author, announced the release of his new book, Crippled America: How To Make America Great Again.  The How To segment of the book's title has adorned his campaign baseball caps for several months, suggesting, to me at least, Trump campaign caps promoting Crippled America.
     Trump likes to claim he has no time for political correctness.  I think he just doesn't give a shit about it, like millions of other Americans.  Still, combining the no longer accepted term crippled with the sacred name America demonstrates Trump's mastery of (self- and finance-promoting) propaganda.  It was like 1977, when people formed lines extending far outside the venue to see Star Wars--Donald J. Trump and his new literary work, signings following a Trump Tower press conference preceded on cable news with the usual half-screen shot of an empty podium, and assurances of an imminent appearance by the man who makes the news media-entertainment complex gears move.
     Four weeks ago, a Business Insider preview of the book referred to it as a "slim volume," a term applied usually to a poet's humble first release, or, in this case, a windbag's effusion of already-heard-many-times talking points, some of which Trump repeated during yesterday's press conference.  I noticed that the first journalist Trump called on was MSNBC's Katy Tur, evolved apparently in Trump's estimation from semi-contemptible woman in his first interview with her to a favorite, working for an allegedly liberal cable news network.
     Today's episode of MSNBC's Morning Joe featured the usual Trump coverage (fuel feeding and sustaining the monster), accompanied by the typical amusement of those on camera, acting helpless as they react to Trump's psychopathic self-confidence; smiling, laughing, and even admitting sometimes that their attention keeps him going.  When news media workers analyze their own effect on the news, it's like the opening of Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass, when Alice, veteran of Wonderland, enters a flipped world through a mirror.  Trump, like the weirdnesses encountered in Carroll's fiction, rules freak zones.  In the world of today's real America, broken or not, it's important to distinguish the difference between the fantastic (that which stimulates the imagination, in political discourse, with flamboyant crazy talk) and the real world and its people affected by decisions that can put nutjobs into political office, or elect people who at least can do a fair job with the imperfect materials at hand.
   
     A side note: My friend Rhombus, a filmmaker and collage artist, has just uploaded his first video to YouTube, under the title Bag of Confusion.  It's a nineteen minute original film, with lots of music. Check it out if you're so inclined.

                                                                              Vic Neptune