Kryptonite

 

Well, I took a walk around the world to ease my troubled mind
I left my body lying somewhere in the sands of time
But I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon
I feel there's nothing I can do, yeah

 

If I go crazy, then will you still call me Superman?

 

Superman’s original motto was “Truth, Justice, and the American Way.” DC Comics revised that motto in 2021 to “Truth, Justice and a Better Tomorrow” to better appeal to an international audience. But this story is about the United States of America, the world’s superpower- the planet’s Superman. So, the original motto applies.

Truth: To be truthful is to be factual. Shortly after Donald Trump began his first term as President in January 2017, America was introduced to the concept of “alternative facts.” Presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway defended a statement by Press Secretary Sean Spicer that Trump’s inauguration crowd was the largest ever – a provable lie, though Conway claimed it was an “alternative fact.” News correspondent Chuck Todd responded, "Look, alternative facts are not facts. They're falsehoods."^[

That didn’t stop Donald Trump from lying constantly. During his first term, the Washington Post fact checker counted 30,573 lies or misleading statements from the 45^th president, culminating in The Big Lie that the 2020 Presidential Election was stolen from him. Despite numerous court opinions and investigations in the states where Trump alleged fraud, none was found. While all available evidence pointed to the fact that Trump’s Big Lie was, in fact, a lie, millions of Trump supporters believed him and four years later, still believe him. And Trump continues to brazenly repeat the Big Lie to this day. Sadly, in Trump world, the only truth that matters is the truth that springs from the mouth of their Dear Leader. However, those outside the cult are willing to point out that the lies have not stopped.

Justice: Martin Luther King famously said, “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” That bend took a serious turn in the wrong direction in the person of Donald Trump.

Trump’s known crimes and ethical transgressions are too numerous to list here. He was convicted of 32 felonies by a New York jury. He was found liable for defamation surrounding a sexual assault and sentenced to pay $83 million. He was found liable by a New York court for business fraud and sentenced to pay $354 million. He was impeached for withholding aid from Ukraine while attempting to extort an agreement to investigate a political opponent. He was charged with stealing classified documents. He was charged with election interference based on his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Those efforts amounted to staging a coup as he urged violent supporters to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory.

At every turn, Trump has sought to thwart justice through delays, a questionable immunity ruling by a highly politicized Supreme Court, and dismissal on a technicality by a friendly Trump-appointed judge in his home state of Florida. His attempt to overturn a free and fair election resulted in a second impeachment. But justice was once again denied as Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell urged Republicans to vote against conviction on the technicality that Trump was no longer President. This allowed Trump to run for President in 2024; a conviction would have forever barred him from office.

Where justice had been served by the conviction and imprisonment of over 1,500 people who stormed the U.S. Capitol during the January 6 insurrection, Trump pardoned or commuted their sentences on the first day of his second term as President. Where in the arc of the moral universe does that place the United States, which put him back into office?

The American Way: Nearly 250 years ago, a small group of patriots had a dream of a better way of living than under a despotic king. After defeating the king’s army, they hammered out a Constitution that set up a form of government that didn’t exist in their world. When asked what form of government the founders had agreed upon, Benjamin Franklin replied, “A republic if you can keep it.”

The Constitution established a government of checks and balances among three distinct branches, each with their own role. Any sixth-grade civics student will tell you that the legislative branch makes the laws, the executive branch, headed by the President, carries out the laws and the judicial branch interprets the laws.

The new Trump administration seeks to consolidate all governmental power in the President. In a few short days after taking office, Trump is already attempting to assert dictatorial powers through issuing a series of Executive Orders, some of which have been challenged. His order purporting to end birthright citizenship, which is guaranteed by the text of the 14^th Amendment, was ruled as “blatantly unconstitutional” by a federal judge. But Trump will appeal any adverse judgments, betting that they will be overturned by a Supreme Court that has shown its willingness to bend to Trump’s will.

Conclusion:  A liar, an unpunished and defiant criminal, and an insurrectionist attempting to take on dictatorial powers, Donald J. Trump is kryptonite to the Superman that is the United States of America.

Exposure to kryptonite drains Superman of his strength and powers, causing severe pain. Prolonged exposure will cause him to die.

Based on his first term and what we’ve seen so far of his second, I think the country has gone crazy to put this man in the White House. So, can we still call it Superman?

To paraphrase the lyrics of the song “Kryptonite” by 3 Doors Down:

I watched the nation float to the dark side of the moon,

I feel there’s nothing I can do. . . .

 

Except, resist! Speak out! Insist on the Truth! Seek justice! Fight to keep our republic!

 

Songwriters: Bradley Kirk Arnold / Matthew Darrick Roberts / Robert Todd Harrell; “Kryptonite” performed by 3 Doors Down.