Trumping Jesus Christ

News of the reduced bond required and extended time granted hit my liberal friends quite hard yesterday morning.

My own reaction put me back in bed after making a pot of coffee. When I dared look again, I heard the details. Not so bad considering that the State of New York is now guaranteed to gain the lesser amount, and Trump is still liable for the rest.

Still, there was a non-monetary detail that had nothing to do with law that made my coffee redundant and got me out of bed.

Before I started venting on my own, I took a look at what my friend in Woonsocket had to say. She pays as much attention to national intrigue as is possible, connects all necessary dots, dismisses unnecessary distractions, puts it all in context, and has plenty say. As I said, the news hit her hard:

AMERICA DIED TODAY

Burial will take place in a weed-covered plot in a forgotten corner of a golf course in New Jersey.

I was going to hit the laugh emoji, but Glee Violette–better known on New England fair-weather festival and faire circuits as well as on an RI Polar Express as “Granny Grue”–continued:

I AM DONE FOR TODAY. Maybe for good.

Trump is suffering just like Jesus? In the Stormy case?

AND he just got another reprieve in the NYC business fraud case???? His bond has been cut by 2/3 and he has 10 more days to pay it?

IF MIRACLES ARE HAPPENING, THEY ARE NOT COMING FROM HEAVEN.

Donald Trump’s Truth Social account shared a message supposedly from a supporter comparing the former President to Jesus – during his critical pre-trial hearing in the New York Stormy Daniels hush money case on Monday.

If I may interrupt, as legal scholar Joyce Vance and others point out, the term “hush money,” while true, is misleading. Since it was paid to influence an election, we should be calling it “an election fraud case.” But back to my friend’s main point:

“It’s ironic that Christ walked through His greatest persecution the very week they are trying to steal your property from you.”

Trump described the sentiment as “beautiful.”

My dear friend of, gulp, twenty years then went on to list differences between the malignant fraud from Queens and the peace-and-love-preaching, humanitarian carpenter of 2,000 years ago. In my eccentric way, I took that as comic relief: Comic, because distinctions between these two are as obvious as they would be between a bowl of butter pecan ice cream and a vial of urine; a relief, because it proved she’s not done, will never be done, won’t ever allow herself to be done.

Like me, she felt that first whack. Difference is that she was already on line and reaction was reflex. I, as noted above, kept lazily sipping coffee as if I was self-administering last rites. Though I knew she didn’t need it, I thought to give my friend a pep talk:

I say we keep scribbling and posting. No matter what happens, or how it happens, what else are we going to do? As for this development, yes, it is demoralizing in the extreme. I’m wondering if it’s a sign that he has something on these judges or on people close to them. Anyone else who has done what he’s done, said what he has said, especially regarding court decisions, not to mention open incitement of violence, would have been behind bars long ago.

I might have mentioned that we both have grandchildren. That when older they might wonder what we did. But she was aware of that before I ever gave it thought. Instead, I wanted to pinpoint the reason to keep on:

The courts are going to fail us if they haven’t already. NBC’s recent hiring of Ronna McDaniel is yet another nail in the coffin of the media. All that’s left is the November election, and with the Electoral College in mind with all of those red, Christian states, we might do best by turning this comparison to Christ against him. First Commandment? Second? Third? All of the above? I say we treat this as if he’s handing us material. Let’s use it.

All those years I lived in red western states, all those good Lutherans and Methodists, Episcopalians and Dutch Reformers who tolerated this lapsed Catholic, all those ecumenical groups with names such as “United Ministries” that I joined, all of it convinces me that these folks will not brook a man who compares himself to Jesus Christ.

We may be able to test that claim in the coming weeks. Today, in an apparent attempt to raise the reduced bond, the fraud announced the sale of “God Bless the USA Bibles,” for $59.99:

Happy Holy Week! Let’s Make America Pray Again. As we lead into Good Friday and Easter, I encourage you to get a copy…

Will Christians fall for this? Will they not notice the screaming contradiction of the word “happy” for a religious observance of a crucifixion? With the image on his gold sneakers, we have already allowed the fraud to monetize, if not desecrate, the American flag.

Are we now going to watch him monetize Jesus Christ?

My friend in Salem keeps reminding us to follow the money. But my money says that most Lutherans in Wisconsin, Methodists in Michigan, Catholics in Pennsylvania, Mormons in Arizona, Baptists in Georgia will not stand for this.

The name “Trump” may be a double-entendre, but he keeps dealing us wild cards.

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