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On the Origin of Feces: Donald Trump, his agenda and his people [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-01-19

I suppose it is fitting that when Donald Trump is inaugurated as President tomorrow, the event will take place inside the building where his followers, on January 6, 2021, smeared human feces on the walls. That action is a symbol of what they stand for. It’s a symbol of how Trump and his people feel about the traditions, laws and mores of America, not to mention the US Constitution. Take the worst physical thing that a human can produce and throw it against the walls of justice and freedom. See what sticks and what stinks.

It's a good way to make sense of many of the promised proposals, executive orders and cabinet picks of Trump. Pete Hegseth, Robert Kennedy Jr., Tulsi Gabbard: Nominations made with no respect for the responsibilities of the job or the qualifications for it.

Just smears of feces.

Here are a few of Trump’s promises: forcibly remove undocumented immigrants from the United States; impose major tariffs that could drive up prices; reinstate a travel ban; end birthright citizenship; cut federal spending to cities that don’t cooperate with deportations; eliminate the department of education; cut federal spending for schools that teach things like racial justice; target transgender policies; fund school vouchers; roll back environmental regulations; pull out of the Paris climate agreement; retaliate against political enemies.

Just more feces.

A Zen story is told of a monk who was dissatisfied with every monastery he went to. “This place stinks,” he would say every time, and move on. Turns out, he had dog shit on his shoes. The places stank because he was carrying the smell everywhere he went.

It’s a good image for Donald “Everything I Touch Turns to Shit” Trump. Consider:

Bankruptcies: Trump Taj Mahal (1991); Trump Castle and Trump Plaza (1992); Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts (2004); Trump Entertainment Resorts (2009).

Scams and failures: Trump University (multiple lawsuits, a $25 million settlement); Trump Steaks; Trump Vodka; Trump Airlines; Trump Ice. The Trump Presidency.

He even smeared feces on the idea of charity. From one report: “The Trump Foundation was found to be a personal piggy bank disguised as charity. The New York Attorney General cited Trump for using the foundation’s funds for self-serving purposes, including settling lawsuits and making campaign donations. The foundation was dissolved, and Trump was ordered to pay $2 million.”[1]

“Pay to pray” feces

Trump and his inauguration committee will hold an exclusive interfaith prayer service during inaugural week. The “One America, One Light Sunday Service” is set for January 19. The location of the event—where big donors will be allowed to smear the feces of their money on some church’s walls—is unknown at this writing. Tickets are $100,000 (or $200,000 raised through donations).

This “pay to pray” model, as one article has it, “monetizes religious participation while catering to wealthy donors who may use the event to exert influence over [Trump’s] administration. The controversy underscores broader concerns about the role of money in politics and the ethical boundaries of presidential inaugural committees.”[2]

Another criticism that emphasizes religious values over greed is that the event attaches a price tag to a prayer service, undermining its spiritual purpose. Indeed, as with so many other religion-related actions by Trump—praying with Paula White and her coven; holding an upside-down bible in front of St. John’s church in D.C. after using tear gas to clear the area of protesters—one wishes that the word “blasphemy” was more a part of our cultural and civic conversation.

So, here we go

The extent to which Donald Trump and his minions will be able to smear feces on the Constitution of the United States is still unknown, but the stench from his previous administration is still present. We know what’s coming.

The question is whether the next four years will be eschatological or scatological. I’m guessing the latter, by a nose.

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