Kryptonite to Trump and the MAGA GOP.

Dear TAT readers,

Today is just a short little story that will be of value to those as furious as I am, regarding what the Trump led, MAGA controlled GOP, intends for our nation. I’ll be back Friday as well with a new essay. This is just something that was on my mind today.

Yesterday was a moment of emotional opposites for something near and dear to my heart. The small pocket constitution awarded to each member of my graduating class from Warrant Officer Candidate School in Alabama, on a cold February morning in 2006, had to be retired due to being worn, stained and dog-eared. Mind you, the content was still as vibrant as the pages were tattered, but it was time for retirement. Yesterday, I carefully chose a worthy replacement while at the local Barnes and Noble, where I had gone to discuss a book signing. This new, lovingly chosen replacement is in the photo above.

I laid this new, leatherbound copy onto my keyboard, in order to symbolically represent the two items, that I consider my primary weapons in defending our nation from Trump and the MAGA GOP, who would destroy everything our founders and generations of Americans, have believed in and defended with their lives. All of us have unique skills, talents and strengths to contribute to this fight. Knowledge and my keyboard, are mine.

My old, tattered copy had become a dear and trusted friend as well as my travel companion, in the years since it was first handed to me. It traveled in my pocket and backpack through yearly deployments and is now safely packed away safely for my children and grandchildren in my mother’s cedar chest, given to her by my grandparents, decades ago. My parents, both veterans would consider such an addition, a family heirloom. Having my father pin on my rank that blustery February day was elegantly fitting, as that it was he, the former government and history teacher who had first armed me with the knowledge of our founding national principles and how we have evolved over the centuries.

At the very core, our nation has depended on those founding principles to survive all manner of threats, including a catastrophic civil war. Now, our nation built on brilliant human principles born of the Scottish Enlightenment, faces an even more dangerous threat, via a far-right extremist movement masquerading as a legitimate political party. The MAGA GOP, is that movement and via both the content of their 2024 GOP Platform and its foundation, Project 2025, are hellbent on altering our constitution to one that exclusively supports, The Four Horsemen of the MAGA Apocalypse, Autocracy, Oligarchy, White Christian Nationalism and Political violence.

Honest Americans, regardless of party beliefs, narrowly lost control of our nation to this extremist movement, built on MAGA and Russian conspiracy theories. Today’s GOP doesn’t understand the words they throw so carelessly toss around, like some expendable trinket. Words and phrases like patriotism, Christianity, the Constitution, our history or even simple words like truth. They are in simple lay terms, brainwashed. All of this leads me to why I consider our founding documents, especially our constitution and Bill of Rights, “Kryptonite” to those who vote Republican in the Trump era.

kryptonite

[ krip-tuh-nahyt ]

noun
Usually Kryptonite. a fictional radioactive substance that is the only thing capable of hurting or weakening the otherwise invulnerable superhero Superman:
Exposure to Kryptonite nullifies Superman's powers and immobilizes him with pain.

Sometimes Kryptonite. something that a person or thing cannot defend against or defeat; a nemesis or bête noire:
The team has not found a way to stop the triple option attack, which has been their kryptonite over the last several years.

Garlic oil is kryptonite for aphids

- Dictionary.com

The parallels between the Superman comics that I grew up on and today’s non-MAGA Americans are striking. Superman is understood to be moral, courageous, unwaveringly in support of his most recognizable motto: “Truth, Justice and the American Way.” Of course, in the comic books morality always perseveres but real life is less successful when faced by the likes of Trump and MAGA, supported by Putin. For decades, the FOX crowd, and now all of the knock-off sites, have incrementally altered the identity of conservatives. In conjunction with Putin’s influence operations, MAGA now exists on the fake patriotic and Christian values of most far-right extremist groups. Don’t take my word for it but instead, find out yourself by simply reading our constitution.

Reading our constitution and other founding documents, are not intimidating. As Thomas Jefferson wrote:

That our current SCOTUS, unconstitutionally subservient to oligarchs and their version of Christianity, apparently never read Jefferson’s work. Both Oligarchy and a favored set of religious beliefs in government, are unconstitutional. This is stated clearly and in black and white, right there in our constitution and reinforced by centuries of ethical legal interpretation. Well, at least until the Chief Justice John Roberts SCOTUS. Now, Trump and MAGA are attempting to subvert the very lifeblood of our nation and its inherent stated values. It is up to us to restore the intent of those extraordinary scholars, patriots and visionaries that risked all, to give our republic, the sound foundation to endure, not be disassembled by immoral political hacks and opportunists.

The only ammunition real American patriots need to rescue our republic, can be found in the words of brilliant and moral founders, which were carefully distilled and placed upon the pages of our constitution. These inherent beliefs lie in the hearts of the majority of most Americans, but never in the hearts of the MAGA GOP. Like all extremists, those who fervently belief MAGA ideology, will almost never shed their aberrant ideological beliefs. It is simply a matter of how radicalization works. I know this all too well from my long career in counterterrorism.

What will save many of our lost friends, is to reacquaint them with what is written by our founders, not the dishonest, un-American interpretations of their political narrators. Right-wing culture wars have zero to do with our constitution. This is called building resilience. Resilience is critical to resisting the incoming, traitorous administration. We will need the moral spine of Washington, Lincoln, Eisenhower, JFK etc., to put down this rhetorical and actual rebellion by MAGA. Make no mistake, MAGA is waging a civil war against everything that our nation stands for.

Replacing my dear old constitution yesterday with a new and more expansive book, will now become my shield and my keyboard my sword, wielded against MAGA’s coup attempt. I highly recommend the same investment for all of you, who wish to arm yourselves with this impenetrable sword and shield. The actual cost is very minor but for your children and grandchildren’s future… priceless. I’m old fashioned and love the feel of a wonderful book in my hands but those who are more digitally inclined, I also highly recommend The National Constitution Center. There you can not only read the constitution but also find tutorials and a wide variety of helpful educational resources for learning. It is one of my favorite sources.

Now, my new friend will be at my side whether at my keyboard or while traveling. From a patriotic perspective, it is my bible. I do hope that you will build and reinforce your own patriotic resilience with a similar approach. From experience… it has served me well.

Cheers and back Friday my friends,

Paul