Yesterday I did a little yard work, but mostly laid on my back reading a classic mystery: John Dickson Carr's The Three Coffins. Some years ago I set about reading at least one example of every great detective in 20th-century mystery. So, at least one Holmes, one Poirot, one Father Brown, one Spenser for Hire, etc. Somehow I missed Dr. Gideon Fells, the creation of John Dickson Carr. A Holmesian mastermind, with homage to G. K. Chesterton and a touch of Poe mixed in.
I read this morning about the president's press conference yesterday. He says America has vanquished the coronavirus. He says his predecessor in office was guilty of "the biggest political crime in American history," though he wouldn't actually say what the crime was. He also apparently said that the U.S. along with Germany leads the world with the lowest number of deaths per population, which is clearly a lie.
The basic strategy of Trump's campaign for reelection is to "flood the field with shit" (as Steve Bannon famously said). This would be BS about his own achievements, BS about his opponent, and BS about certain other nations (because every hero needs a looming and powerful enemy). He will depict himself as the hero fighting against all odds and innumerable enemies, single-handedly vanquishing one after the other, and in the process saving the country.
The enemies are the Fake Media, the Swamp, China and Iran, among others. It will be important for him to undermine the credibility of every critic. There will be name-calling, innuendo, literally thousands of lies, an "international incident" or two, and claims of secret knowledge that the world will soon know (but never does). The 9th commandment will be laid aside as obsolete by many of his key Christian supporters. Get ready for extreme bogosity.
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