Our nation's 250th birthday

 

Time now to celebrate our country's 250th birthday. Our nation has survived wars, recessions, even a serious econmic depression, and now, so far, has even survived a very quirky president like Donald J. Trump. So can we now actually get through the rest of the Trump era, something we never saw coming and hope to never see again? We've already survived several Trump years, so maybe the worst is over. That man is not immortal, after all.

 It was a freak accident that he was ever elected to begin with--even Donald Trump himself was surprised when the Electoral College awarded him a victory, even though he had lost the popular vote. And with his unlikely electoral defeat of Hillary Clinton, our nation lost an opportunity to elect our first woman president. But Trump was then launched on his political career for better or for worse, mostly worse, in my opinion. After all, although the guy has been extraordinarily lucky, he is not immortal, after all, so eventually we will be delivered from his unfortunate embrace. But until that happens, there will be some rough going. 

I am now age 88 and hope to live to see the day when Trump is no longer in public office. I'm sure that E. Jean Carroll will also be glad to see him go, as he has never paid any price for raping her those many years ago. The guy is a criminal according to all current laws and standards, but he is trying to avoid paying up what he owes, which he can certainly afford, but he's stalling now because he's afraid it will look like he actually owes her for  having raped her. He knows he did rape her, but is afraid that by payinng her, it will look as though he really did so, Does anyone now believe that he is innocent? 

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Our longtime friend Pamela from Arlington, Virginia, near DC, was staying at Coolfont, the hotel here in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, where my son Jon now works. The hotel had burned down in a fire 2 years ago but has since been rebuilt. It was Pam's birthday, so we invited her to lunch.

While we were there eating lunch in the Coolfont dining room, a couple came in with their adult daughter who

evidently has Down syndrome. That led me to wonder, can folks with Downs have children and, if so, is the condition passed on? 

So, of course, I asked Google. And the answer is:

Yes, people with Down syndrome can have children, though it depends on the gender. 

Women: Approximately 30% to 50% of women with Down syndrome are fertile. If a woman with the condition conceives, the likelihood that the child will also be born with Down syndrome is about 50%.

Men: Men with Down syndrome usually do not father children due to impaired sperm production and other gonadal dysfunctions. 

The chances of having a child with Down syndrome do increase with the mother's age. However, having one child with Down doesn't mean the next will necessarily have the condition. In most cases, the odds are actually against that ever happening again. I have known couples with a Down child who later had children without that condition.

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Here now is my son Jon working at the front desk of the Coolfont hotel, just newly rebuilt after a fire that had totally destroyed it.

I heard the local fireworks and saw them lighting up the sky, but only from a considerable distance while my son

was away at work. Our dog definitely is no fan of fireworks, just hiding out here under a bed, 

On July 4, Donald Trump showed up at Mount Rushmore where he would really, really like to see his face being added there, alongside the visages of presidents Washington, Jefferson,

 Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. Trump considers himself to be the very greatest US president of all time, with the possible exception of Abraham Lincoln. 

Trump has even 

displayed a video of his face appearing there. 

Ahead of Trump's speech in South Dakota, the White House had earlier actually suggested that Trump's face could be a new "addition" to Mount Rushmore. But that appears quite unlikely, as there is no more room on the mountain. 

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Now let's get back to reality.

While Mr. Trump had been actually elected by a slight majority of voters this last time, his popularity has been plummeting ever since. 

Donald Trump’s current net approval rating sits at -21, with 37% of Americans approving of his job performance and 59% disapproving. 

That's just more "fake news" Trump would say, so no worries at all. He already knows he is the greatest, smartest, most popular president our country has ever seen. And he still wants to see his face up there on Mount Rushmore, along with those of other great presidents. 

 This is what our president has been doing instead of confronting the many problems afflicting our nation and the world. 

Observers have labeled Trump's exaggerated sense of self-worth a classic example of the Dunning-Kruger effect, a label attached to those who don't know what they don't know. Because he once passed a simple screening for dementia--which I also passed and so could you--Trump thinks he's really smart. His father seems to have exaggerated Donald's abilities and passed that assessment on to his son. The father unfortunately did not live to see his son actually become president. 

Not just fathers, but mothers may also be ambitious for their children.

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The ancient figure Narcissus from Greek mythology is the origen of the term "narcissism" which has often been applied to Donald Trump. Known for his extraordinary beauty, the mythical Narcissus was cursed by the goddess of revenge, Nemesis, after he cruelly rejected the nymph Echo. Lured to a pool of water, Narcissus became so entranced by his own reflection that he could not leave, eventually pining away until he died and was transformed into the flower that bears his name.

 According to the tale, the flower of the same name sprouted from the spot where he died. The psychological term narcissism is derived from this tale..

 

The legend of Narcissus is the origin of the term "narcissism," which describes an excessive preoccupation with oneself. Would you say that the term applies to Donald Trump?