"Collusion Secret Meetings Dirty Money, and How Russia Helped Donald Trump Win" by Luke Harding: Book Review

Harding, Luke. Collusion, Secret Meetings, Dirty Money, and How Russia Helped Donald Trump Win (New York, Vintage Books, 2017)

As our ever growing, ever worsening constitutional crisis has continued and grown much like Topsy, I have devoted much of my reading and writing time to books related to the crimes of the TRAITOR and International Terrorist Donald Trump, studies of dystopian literature, constitutional issues, and the history of Fascism.  The latest book of that nature which I have read is "Collusion..." by Luke Harding, a staff writer for The Guardian, one of the best, most honest, and most incisive political websites.  Harding is also the author of the prior best seller, "The Snowden Files".  In "Collusion...", Harding examines the connections between the TRAITOR and International Terrorist Donald Trump, his staff people, others around him and Russia.  Specifically, the book addresses the timeline of those Russian connections of Paul Manafort, Carter Page, Jared Kushner, Michael Flynn along with those of the head traitor himself.  

The book does an excellent job of uncovering and illuminating potential criminal actions between the principles and Vladimir Putin, the KGB, the FSB, Alfa Bank, and numerous Russian oligarchs close to Putin.  Harding's connections in the sleazy and dangerous world of Russian money laundering have to be the envy of many full time undercover operatives of most of the major democratic governments in the world.  He was able to personally meet with and interview Christopher Steele, the retired British intelligence agent who authored the so-called Russian Dossier which first brought to public light the potential treason of Trump.  He does an excellent job of tracing the actions, travels, and nefarious meetings of figures as diverse as Steele, Carter Page, and Russian Ambassador Kislyak.  His research, much of which had to be done at risk of his personal safety, was meticulous.  His ability to piece together the complex and ever-growing connections between the Russian Owned Criminal Syndicate which currently illegitimately occupies the White House and the actual Russian government is impressive and approaches the level of work supervisors would expect from a member of the CIA, FBI, or NSC.  

It is a work well worth reading although it can be a cumbersome read at times.  But rest assured that it is worth the cover price.  After reading this book, along with others I have read and reviewed here, you will be much better informed about the greatest treason ever committed against the United States.  You will have a fuller understanding of the heinous nature of the crimes of TRAITOR and International Terrorist Trump and his Russian Owned Criminal Syndicate.  Buy the book or check it out at your local library. If your local library does not own a copy, demand that they order one and place it on their shelves.  Study the book and the timeline of collusion, espionage, and treason it presents.  Then speak out about the truths it contains.  Stand up for America and American Democracy and demand that the country and the world be purged of the illegitimate gang of conspirators and traitors which is occupying the White House.  

"The Dangerous Case Of Donald Trump" Edited by Bandy Lee, M. D.---Book Review

 Lee, Bandy, M. D.; M. Div. Editor. The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump (New York, Saint Martin's Press, 2017)

Today I finished reading the most important book in America, "The Dangerous Case Of Donald Trump", edited by Bandy Lee, M. D.; M. Div. and written by 27 of the best, most distinguished psychiatrists in America.  In today's world, I cannot imagine a more important book for any reader to read, devour, memorize, talk about with friends and acquaintances, and pass on to the next reader who might not be able to afford their own copy.  This book arose from a Duty To Warn Conference at the Yale University School of Medicine on April 20, 2017, the transcript of which can be found at this internet address.  I would encourage my readers to not only read the book but also read the conference transcript.  

The conference came about because Dr. Lee and many of her professional colleagues were deeply concerned about the obvious manifestations of serious and dangerous mental illness they were seeing in Donald Trump, whom I generally refer to as TRAITOR & International Terrorist Trump.  Every since 1973, psychiatrists and other mental health professionals with diagnostic certifications had been bound by the Goldwater Rule which is found in Section 7 in the American Psychiatric Association's (APA) Principles of Medical Ethics.  In fairly simplistic words, the Goldwater Rule states that members of the APA may not make public statements or give public diagnostic opinions about the mental health of public figures without having had a formal diagnostic interview with the person in question and having been provided with a release of information giving those professionals permission to make the findings of such a diagnostic interview public.  Dr. Lee and her associates were also deeply concerned about their legal, moral, and ethical obligations under another important concept in American mental health practice, the Duty To Warn, which mandates that a qualified mental health practitioner must take actions to warn potential victims and appropriate law enforcement authorities in the event that they are aware of an individual who has expressed intent to harm others.  The duty to warn arises when a patient has communicated an explicit threat of imminent serious physical harm or death to a clearly identified or identifiable victim or victims, and the patient has the apparent intent and ability to carry out such a threat. Duty to warn arose from a famous legal decision in a liability case known as Tarasoff vs. Regents of the University of California.  In that case, four mental health practitioners had knowledge that a patient intended to harm Tatiana Tarasoff and did nothing to warn Ms. Tarasoff or the local police.  Ms. Tarasoff was murdered by the patient and the practitioners and the University were held liable for her death.  Since that time, every mental health practitioner in America has been bound by the Tarasoff Rule, otherwise known as Duty To Warn.  Hence, Dr. Lee and her colleagues all across America were facing a serious dilemma as to whether or not to warn America and the world about the serious degree of danger they were seeing in Donald Trump as he made more and more serious threats toward various groups of people and individuals including his general election opponent, Hillary Clinton.  Therefore, the Yale Duty to Warn Conference was held, the best psychiatrists in America participated, expressed their opinions, and the most important book in America today was published containing more than twenty of the major articles whose foundations had been presented at the conference.  

Since the publication of the book, "The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump", Dr. Lee has met with a large contingent of the US Congress in Washington to discuss the book, its findings, and the need for congress to intervene.  The book has been well received in professional circles and among a large contingent of the well educated and well read public.  But it has not received anywhere near the degree of sales, support, and readership it should.  Much of the content is concerning at least and terrifying at worst.  What I consider to be the most important paragraph in the book was written by Diane Jhueck, L. M. H. C.; D. M. H. P. and I have excerpted it below:

"As the ultimate representative of our nation, Donald J. Trump is normalizing previously outrageous behaviors, negatively impacting everyone from leaders of other nations to our own children.  From the outset of his presidency, although clearly absent a mandate from the population he now governs , he has repeatedly declared himself "the greatest", or "tremendous", or "knowing more than anyone", and other statements consistent with narcissistic personality disorder, with regard to an expectation of being viewed as superior without commensurate achievements" (American Psychiatric Association, 2013, p. 669)  He exhibits extreme denial of any feedback that does not affirm his self-image and psychopathic tendencies, which affords him very limited ability to learn and effectively adjust to the requirements of the office of president.  Rather, he consistently displays a revenge-oriented response to any such feedback.  Holding this office at once feeds his grandiosity and claws at the fragile sense of self underneath it.  His patterns of behavior while in the role of president of the United States have potentially dire impact on ever individual not only in this nation but across the entire globe.  The earth itself is in peril, both from the urgent issues that are not being addressed while an unstable man sits in the Oval Office and by the new urgencies he creates.  Mr. Trump is and has demonstrated himself to be a danger to others--not just one person or a few, but possibly to all others."  The Dangerous Case Of Donald Trump, p. 193

If those words do not strike terror in the heart of the reader, if they do not cause the reader to spring into action in support of America and American Democracy, if those words are not enough, coming from a professional psychiatrist, Diane Jhueck, who is also a recognized expert in the field of assessing dangerous individuals, then  far too great damage has already been done to the American psyche by Donald Trump.  He is a seriously and dangerously mentally ill individual.  He presents the greatest danger to the world in the world today.  Read the book.  Come to understand what these highly credentials are telling you as they practice their Duty To Warn you, me, and the entire world.  Literally, the well-being, the lives of all of us and the entire planet earth depend on it. 

"An Inconvenient Truth"---Comments On A Movie

Only eleven years after it was released and immediately recognized as one of the most important American documentary movies ever made, I finally watched "An Inconvenient Truth" starring former Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize Winner Al Gore and directed by Davis Guggenheim.  I finally caught the movie on Turner Classic Movies a couple of nights ago.  I had always known that this was one of the more important documentaries ever made and had known that I needed to see it but had never carried through.  Al Gore has devoted his life since the miscarriage of justice in the 2000 Presidential Election to the environmental cause which he had always been actively supporting.  

The movie is a very cogent, well organized, easily understandable discussion of global warming and the potential worldwide disaster which it is likely to cause.  I have known for many years, ever since reading "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson and "The Everglades River Of Grass" by Marjory Stoneman, that the cumulative damage we are doing to the world with industry, overpopulation, and blatant disregard for their inherent damages, that we are at great risk of making many areas of the world uninhabitable and further complicating world overpopulation.  I have also read other books such as "Chomolungma Sings The Blues" by Ed Douglas and "Never Cry Wolf" by Farley Mowat which have furthered my awareness of the potential natural disaster which hangs over our heads.  As the seas rise, more and more densely populated areas along our coasts are prone to become flooded forcing huge populations to move inland in order to survive.  The tiny country of Kiribati has actually moved to buy land from neighboring Fiji in order to relocate their entire population when they become the first nation to be totally inundated by the ocean.  The Maldives are also likely to disappear underwater.  Numerous coastal cities all over the world are likely to loose hundreds of thousands of acres of land over the next few years.  Millions of people will be required to relocate and the total worldwide damage and costs are impossible to calculate.  Kivalina Alaska is also doomed to disappear under water.  

Sadly, at the present, the United States government is being held hostage by a criminal organization which evidence strongly indicates colluded with Russia and is fully committed to continuing and expanding many, if not all, of the practices which are destroying the environment.  They are also fully committed to destroying the Environmental Protection Agency.  Watching "An Inconvenient Truth" has reminded me of many things I already knew about the environment, taught me a great deal of new information, and renewed my commitment to fight for the environment even as we are engaged in the greater and more important fight to save American Democracy from the TRAITOR & International Terrorist Trump and his Russian Owned Criminal Syndicate.  It greatly increases the likelihood of disastrous environmental outcomes to have such an illegitimate and ignorant group actually holding the country and our environmental policies hostage as part of their usurpation of political power with the assistance of Vladimir Putin and Russia.  

Every reader of this blog should make an effort to watch "An Inconvenient Truth" and its sequel "An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth To Power" if you have not already seen them.  Additionally, we should all fully commit ourselves to making changes on both micro and macro levels to improve environmental conditions in our communities and the world at large.  Read environmental books.  Watch environmental movies.  Attend speeches by environmental leaders and scientists.  Learn all you can on a daily basis and take some action on a daily basis to help save the world and the human race.