For over three years, Donald Trump has seemed intent on turning against our allies, while pandering to those who are our adversaries.  At first, he only tarnished our reputation abroad and we were the laughingstock of the western world.  But then, he began doing things such as pulling out of treaties and agreements that were working to keep the world safer, touting his ridiculous “America First” policy, and the world stopped laughing.  This week, he may have driven a final nail in the coffin when, in the middle of a global pandemic with thousands of people dying every day, he cut off U.S. funding to the World Health Organization.

Why???  Because he f*cked up so badly in his own response to the coronavirus that he now needs someone else to blame.  It’s called CYA, or Cover Your Ass.  It’s also called stupid. It’s rather like shooting your surgeon in the middle of your heart surgery, or burning down your house in the middle of a blizzard.

“Now is the time for unity and for the international community to work together in solidarity to stop this virus and its shattering consequences, not the time to reduce the resources for the operations of the World Health Organization or any other humanitarian organization in the fight against the virus.” – United Nations Secretary General António Guterres

“Cutting funding to the WHO — rather than focusing on solutions — is a dangerous move at a precarious moment for the world. The AMA is deeply concerned by this decision and its wide-ranging ramifications, and we strongly urge the President to reconsider.” – Statement by the American Medical Association (AMA)

And numerous world leaders spoke out against the foolish move, as well.  The ultimate irony here is that Trump claims to be cutting off funding because he says WHO’s “severely mismanaging and covering up”, when it is Trump’s own mismanaging and covering up, his bungling response for the first two months, that has led to unnecessary loss of life.  And even today, he is putting profit ahead of people by threatening to ‘re-open’ the country by May 1^st, come hell or high water, even threatening and bullying states’ governors who are planning to proceed with caution, despite Trump’s wishes.

This was another foolish move by a ‘man’ who does not understand much of anything outside his own bank account, nor does he care about much other than his own profit & pleasure.  One example … at yesterday’s ‘press briefing’, in defense of his desire to reopen the nation quickly, he said …

“We have to get our sports back. I’m tired of watching baseball games that are 14 years old.  But I haven’t actually had too much time to watch. I would say maybe I watch one batter then I get back to work.”

Awww … pobrecito!

Nicholas Kristof’s column today, titled Trump’s Deadly Search For A Scapegoat, provides further enlightenment … please take a minute to check it out!

Meanwhile … in other news

This was the scene this morning in Chicago …Portions of a Chicago expressway left icy by a wintry blast that brought overnight snowfall led to a pileup involving of dozens of vehicles early Wednesday, sending 14 people to hospitals, officials said.About 50 vehicles were involved in the 5 a.m. pileup along the Kennedy Expressway, the Chicago Fire Department said. The crash prompted Illinois State Police to close all of the expressway’s southbound lanes near Chicago’s North Avenue for about three hours, and multiple northbound lanes also were closed temporarily.

Chicago fire officials said 14 people were transported to area hospitals and 32 others were evaluated at the scene.Makes it a bit hard to believe it’s mid-April, doesn’t it?

Remember I mentioned in one or the other of my snarky snippets last week that Trump was insisting his name be the signatory on the stimulus checks that will be going out to individuals?  Well, the egomaniac got his way – sort of.  According to The Washington Post …

The Treasury Department has ordered President Trump’s name printed on stimulus checks the Internal Revenue Service is rushing to send to tens of millions of Americans, a process that could slow their delivery by a few days, senior IRS officials said.

The unprecedented decision, finalized late Monday, means that when recipients open the $1,200 paper checks the IRS is scheduled to begin sending to 70 million Americans in coming days, “President Donald J. Trump” will appear on the left side of the payment.

Turns out that Trump is not legally authorized to sign for legal disbursements by the U.S. Treasury, so he had to settle for his name on the left-hand side of the checks.  It is a marketing ploy, in hopes that people will remember his name on the check come November 3^rd, but surely the people of this nation are smart enough to realize it is their own money they are receiving?  Aren’t they?  Please?

Let’s wrap up with a bit of humour …