This just in from Hillsdale College--a lesson in corruption, criminality, and mendacity
News and views for thoughtful readers in Florida and the United States
For some mysterious reason, I have found myself on the Imprimis mailing list.
It’s a flyer from Hillsdale College, the right-wing Christian school with deep connections to Project 2025 — you know, that 900-page wish list written by conservatives who long for life in the 1950s and who believe that the world of The Handmaid’s Tale just didn’t go far enough.
It’s odd that I found this in my mailbox. What’s weirder was the cover story, which — by logical extension — makes the argument that Donald Trump should be branded a corrupt liar and criminal.
Now, to be clear, that wasn’t the point Miranda Devine — the cover-story author — was trying to make.
No, the article was, in fact, an endless colonoscopy of right-wing tropes about the evils of godless Democrats, Antifa terrorists, and Black Lives Matter subversives, and how her hero, Trump, is cleaning up America’s lawless urban hellscapes.
But she began her screed with an attack on a Texas Democrat, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, for a statement she made, to wit:
“Just because someone has committed a crime, it doesn’t make them a criminal.”
Oh, yes, it does! the author wrote in unmistakable terms. Here’s her reasoning:
“I can see how this logic would have a wide range of uses for politicians. ‘Just because someone told a lie, it doesn’t make them a liar’; ‘Just because someone took a bribe, it doesn’t make them corrupt.’
“It’s a bit like the thought experiment: ‘If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?’ If a crime is committed and no one is responsible, was there actually a crime at all?”
“Of course it’s nonsense.”
I take her point.
And I’m sure Hillsdale College is fair-minded enough to understand that this logic, which they evidently endorse, should apply to politicians of all political stripes, not just the evil Dems. What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander, and all that.
So, let’s take a look:
About lying
This from Wikipedia: “During and between his terms as president of the United States, Donald Trump has made tens of thousands of false or misleading claims.”
Following Hillsdale’s logic, then, it’s fair to call Trump a liar.
About corruption
The Constitution’s Emoluments Clause forbids presidents from accepting expensive gifts as that could constitute bribery. And about that $400 million luxury jet from Qatar?
Wouldn’t accepting such an expensive gift be considered a violation? And, in all fairness, Hillsdale, doesn’t that make him corrupt using the standards you just published?
So, who’s the criminal?
Trump was found guilty on 34 criminal charges of falsifying business records related to his payments to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election. Therefore, using Hillsdale’s endorsed logic …
… is it fair to call Trump a criminal, then?
Methinks Hillsdale has just hoisted itself on its own petard.
The headline on the article, by the way, was:
Lawlessness is a Choice
Yes, it is.
And about petards
Most of us have heard that expression—hoisted on your own petard—but exactly what is a petard? And how is one hoisted?
Because one of the goals of this newsletter is to make you the smartest person in the room — or the Zoom — here’s what you need to know: First off, a “petard” was a kind of bomb. Shakespeare referred to it in his play, Hamlet.
Here’s what ChatGPT has to say about it (for those unfamiliar with ChatGPT, it’s a computer program students use to do their homework for them):
Hamlet is about a college kid who comes home to find his uncle married his mom, stole his job, and maybe killed his dad—so he spends five acts overthinking everything, talking to a skull, and accidentally stabbing the wrong guy behind a curtain. Everyone tries to out-scheme everyone else, but in true Shakespeare fashion, they all end up hoisted on their own petards — meaning their brilliant plans blow up in their faces. By the end, the body count is so high you’d think Denmark was running a two-for-one funeral special.
What do you think? Share your thoughts in the COMMENT section below. (Look for the little dialogue icon.)
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J.C. Bruce, journalist and author, is the founder of Tropic Press. He holds dual citizenship in the United States of America and his native Florida. Forward this email to your friends. They will love you for it.
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Enjoyed your Hillsdale article. Hoping your witty language will help when I find myself at a loss for words among conservative friends who applaud our president.
I too have received both mail and emails from the Hillsdale College for years. I never read any of it and just considered it professional spam. I finally hit the unsubscribe button and haven't heard from them since. I realize now that most likely I was deemed a collegiate aspirant and, part of their flock, because I once was a Republicant. Prior to Trump I had the misguided idea that Reaganomics actual worked! Oh well. The path to truth and enlightenment is long....