Which one does Donald Trump think he is?
Most people know the general plot of the David and Goliath story, which comes from the Old Testament of the Bible. But for those who don’t, the classic story is about a little guy defeating a far more powerful giant. Yes, there is some “tortoise and the hare” in there.
David’s brothers went off with the Israeli army to fight the Philistines while the smaller David stayed home. The Philistines were a people who came from the island of Crete to Canaan (which is Israel today) and controlled the area for some two hundred years before this final war. The Philistines’ primary weapon was a nine-foot giant named Goliath who not only kicked butt but had a nasty habit of bad mouthing the Israeli God. Little David traveled to the front and confronted Goliath with the only weapons he had, a sling shot and five smooth rocks. The small guy declared to the ogre that God was on his side, and he launched one rock that hit Goliath in the forehead. The oversized bully came crashing down and Israel won the war.
Given the way Donald John Trump announced his new lawsuit against Facebook, Twitter and Google might lead one to think he’s a little guy out to slay the dragons of high-tech. He names the CEOs of the three firms in his lawsuit and declares it’s a class-action complaint, believing his claims can be aggregated with other lawsuits against a defendant that has allegedly caused him and others harm. I might be a candidate for that class-action because I have been banned from Twitter for life, but I wouldn’t get within spitting distance of anything initiated by Donald Trump. There are a huge number of possible reasons why this case will most likely be thrown out, but if it does move forward the defendants could call Trump to a deposition.
So, does Trump perceive himself as David, the disadvantaged martyr, or Goliath, the invincible warrior? I see Trump as a goofy giant being told by all his sycophants and followers that he has superior weaponry and his god, the almighty dollar, and he will win the day. Truth is, this is just another stunt to get on camera and raise cash from his rabid but naïve fans. He will pocket the money.
Trump may view Facebook, Twitter and Google as monolithic corporate overlords, but they are simply websites and search engines that are not owned by the government. Just as Trump and his expensive attorneys were able to run out the clock on obtaining damaging witness testimony at the former president’s impeachment trials, the billionaires behind these social media sites are not about to go down easy. The anti-trust lawsuit against Microsoft lasted more than three years and the Supreme Court has no appetite to get involved.
Trump is lame brained, and he misses a fundamental fact. The First Amendment states that the government cannot restrict speech. It has nothing to do with corporations. Facebook, Twitter and Google are not the government. In fact, the First Amendment protects them from being told what they can or cannot host on their sites.
In the end, the little Davids of this story, Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey and Sundar Pichai, will use weapons of exclusion. Goliath-Trump tried to keep us off his presidential Twitter account, not understanding he didn’t have the right to do so. The recent court decision stating Facebook is not a monopoly will embolden them. Trump is hoping this lawsuit will incite people to rally around him, but he’s an aging idiot who becomes less relevant with each passing day. By the way, where is that Trump social media site he claimed would be coming?
Caste is a recent book by Isabel Wilkerson. She presents a great explanation about the way people hold racists beliefs and are influenced by those long-held prejudices. I suggest that Trump followers have been captured by his rhetoric and are blindly following a false prophet. Here’s a quote from Wilkerson that fits perfectly, “People who do not know that they are captive will not resist their bondage.” Yes, those who continue to believe the “Big Lie” and other aspects of Trump’s foolishness are in bondage. Maybe the modern day Davids will smite the giant’s head and knock some sense into him.
You heard it here first. This off-base lawsuit is dead on arrival because Donald Trump’s remedy would hurt America and help no one. And that, dear friends, is just one of oh so very many reasons why Donald Trump is an asshole.
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