Among Humphrey Bogart’s most memorable movie roles was that of Lt. Commander Philip Queeg, commander of the USS Caine, a Navy minesweeper during WW2.  In the 1954 film titled The Caine Mutiny, Queeg is shown engaging in erratic behavior, including several decisions that left military operations and personnel at risk. Having witnessed his increasingly bizarre behavior, two officers took the extraordinary step of removing him from duty.

Among his bizarre actions, Queeg obsessed about what he believed to be a quart of strawberries missing from an icebox aboard the Caine.  Notably, this fixation is the source of the derisive phrase “Who ate the strawberries,” an oft-heard remark when someone is exhibiting unhinged behavior.

As the two junior officers discussed the duty and morality of what they were contemplating, they understood that removing the commander of a vessel during combat was unheard of and carried with it a number of risks.  As expected, the two who relieved Queeg were put on trial but ultimately acquitted.

Seems ludicrous, doesn’t it, that a leader would become so obsessed with clearly trivial matters (strawberries) to the extent that his judgement would be suspect in far-more-important matters?  Fast forward to the chaotic world in which we find ourselves today … an ill-conceived war … economic pain … leadership ineptitude … concerns about fair elections … criminal coverups … all while our Commander in Chief remains fixated upon:

A reflecting pool.

Yes … I know … I can’t believe it either.  With all the national and world events that buffet us daily, we are still talking about the failed renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

There is no need to lay out here the array of missteps in this debacle, but when the prosecuting attorney and other officials agree that problems with the pool stemmed from faulty installation rather than vandalism, it would seem only reasonable to call an end to any prosecutorial efforts.  The key word in that last run-on sentence was “reasonable” … and, clearly that is not a word that fits easily into a recounting of this outrage.

When the USS Caine foundered at the height of a typhoon, Queeg was incapable of making intelligent decisions.  It was at that point, with the ship and crew at risk, that two of his officers removed him from command and brought the vessel and its men to safety.

As we watch the continuing spectacle of ineptitude at the highest levels of government, one is left to wonder who … like the two officers on the USS Caine … might muster sufficient  moral courage to stand up and declare: “Enough!”  Can it be true that among the ranks of Congress, there is nobody with the strength of character to step forward?

Journalist Germany Kent says it best: “To say nothing is saying something.  You must denounce things you are against or one might believe that you support things you really do not.”

In the opening sequence of the 1942, film Casablanca, we follow a police officer searching for refugees in flight from the Nazis. Stopping a civilian for investigation, the officer … speaking in a carefully modulated German accent … demands: “May we see your papers, please?”  

It should come as no surprise that this heart-stopping sequence has become a cultural metaphor for life in a repressive state.  And, at the risk of putting too-fine-a-point on the issue, one is left to wonder whether the fictional event just described might not be a suitable analogy for the world around us today.

Like every American, I want to live in a safe and secure world.  And while I believe illegal immigrants have no place in our country, it is essential that the rule of law … and, especially, due process … be adhered to when it comes to deportations. I am, of course, fully aware that this view is not shared by some in positions of political authority. 

Needless to say, I am not personally acquainted with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland resident who was deported, recently, to a “super max” prison in El Salvador.  The details of his status in the United States have been widely reported but, the most telling aspect of this matter has to be the government’s acknowledgment that his banishment was “a mistake.”  In other words, he should never have been sent to incarceration in a foreign country.

Most of us, when we make a mistake, take steps to make things right … but that is not what happened here.  Instead, we were witness to a press conference with President Trump and Nayib Bukele, the self-described “world’s coolest dictator” of El Salvador, both chuckling about Garcia’s plight and Bukele’s refusal to return him to the US.  It was at this event that Trump made the stunning suggestion that expulsions of this sort might be suitable for “home grown” criminals as well.

I do not know whether Garcia is a member of the violent MS-13 gang or not but, regardless, the US Constitution grants him the right to due process, and the highest court in the land … the US Supreme Court … has ordered that his return be “facilitated.”  As of this writing, though, the government has not complied with that ruling.

During a recent interview marking his first 100 days in office, President Trump described a photograph showing various tattoos on Garcia’s hand.  In that they included the letters and numbers M,S,1 and 3, the photo was offered as evidence of Garcia’s membership in that notorious group (and, therefore, justifying his deportation).  According to a variety of sources, though, those letters and numbers were “Photoshopped” onto the original image, a fact which Trump vehemently denied.

Sigh.

Among his many prescient observations, German philosopher Theodor Adorno (1903-1969) suggested that a nation’s descent into hell begins when all questions of truth are converted into questions of power.  Further, when a government attacks the distinction between true and false it does so, according to Adorno, in furtherance of its own version of reality.

Sound familiar?  Might Adorno have been ahead of his time in contemplating the sort of government that rejects criticism by using such phrases as “fake news” and “media hoax”?

Adding to the mix in this dystopian world, Senior White House Antiterrorism Advisor Sebastian Gorka has gone so far as to suggest that Americans should not question government decisions about deportations.  In Gorka’s universe, if you are not on the side of the government, you are in league with terrorists and illegal aliens, adding: “… you have to ask yourself: Are they technically aiding and abetting them? Because aiding and abetting criminals and terrorists is a crime in federal statute.”

For a reasoned response to Gorka’s view, we need look no further than the words of the 26th President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt who, in 1918, wrote:  

To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.

To be clear, I am not suggesting that we are … or will soon become … a totalitarian state.  Neither do I believe that we should countenance criminals in our midst.  We would be well-advised, however, to care about the fate of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, for the way in which he is treated will say much about how we, as a nation, view and treat others … including those like you and me.

Like many people stuck in traffic at a red light I look around at other cars and, very often, smile at the stickers and messages people put on display.  College affiliation … favorite sports team … cute sayings intended to evoke a chuckle … political candidates favored by the vehicle owner.

Recently, though, I found myself stopped behind a car exhibiting multiple messages that startled me, and which made we wonder … what on earth is this guy thinking?  What would cause someone to put this sort of display so clearly in the public eye?  Does this person have children?  Have they seen what the rest of us are forced to see when stopped behind him?

Here is what I am talking about:

The first image was an oversized sticker with the wording: “F*** Joe and the Hoe” (I have obscured the obvious profanity).  “Joe,” in this case was, of course, Joe Biden and, doubtless, the “Hoe” was Kamala Harris.

The second emblem was a large “Punisher” decal in red, white and blue.  The “Punisher” logo, to some, suggests resistance to “unjust” laws, and is favored by a variety of terrorist and anti-government groups.

The third symbol on this car was that of the Ichthys (a fish logo containing a crucifix) which is a common symbol of Christianity.  Yes, like you, I wondered at the inclusion of this image in partnership with the other two.

As I sat there trying to decipher the meaning of this fellow’s collection, I had a brief “Grey Poupon” moment during which I considered pulling up next to him and asking him to roll down his window so we could discuss his views.  Unlike the old TV commercial, though, I have a feeling that instead  of a dash of lunchtime condiment, I would have been presented with (at the very least) a stout middle finger.

In a recent Wall Street Journal (WSJ) column titled We Are Starting To Enjoy Hatred, Peggy Noonan described the extreme political polarization she sees in this country, lamenting the fact that so many seem to relish and even celebrate the harsh, outrageous and dehumanizing things being shared online and elsewhere.  At the very least, Noonan suggests, we must remember that those we demean are our fellow countrymen and that we are obliged to go into the future together.

Similarly, in a recent WSJ op-ed piece, political commentator and comedian, Bill Maher, described the political divide in this country even more starkly, suggesting that there are places in this country where citizens, based solely on political beliefs, would not be welcome.  He wonders, for example, whether someone could comfortably ride the New York City subway wearing a MAGA hat, or go to a NASCAR race in a Biden T-shirt.

It is worth noting that Noonan and Maher represent polar opposite ends of the political spectrum.  That being so, when they each see a dangerous divide between the left and right in this country, the rest of us should pay attention.

Near the end of the movie The American President, actor Michael Douglas (playing the part of President Andrew Shepherd) unleashes a powerful challenge to his political opponent declaring: “We have serious problems to solve, and we need serious people to solve them.”  

There is always a debate about how closely fiction mirrors reality but, in present-day politics, Shepherd’s warning about the types of people we choose to follow and emulate rings especially true.

As for the motorist with the coarse and offensive display of messages on his rear window for all the world to see, perhaps it all comes down to simple  thoughtlessness on his part.  But as American conservationist and author Thornton Burgess once pointed out;

That’s the trouble with thoughtlessness; it never remembers other people.

In the process of enlisting in the United States Air Force in 1962, the recruiter asked me which career choices I would prefer.  Being a naive seventeen year old kid, I selected several areas that looked interesting, and headed off to face the rigors of Lackland AFB in San Antonio, Texas.  Upon graduation from basic training I learned that despite my wishes, the Air Force had different plans for me, assigning me to something called Air Force Intelligence.  And, no, that is NOT an oxymoron.

My training for this assignment took place at several locations, and covered a range of topics and processes I would need to master in my new job.  We were made to understand the delicate and secretive nature of the work we would be doing, with specific and repeated emphasis on security.  Needless to say, I never doubted that security violations were taken very seriously and, if I remember correctly, mention was often made of Leavenworth, the maximum security military prison in Kansas.

As one might imagine, this trip down memory lane has been stimulated by the recent spate of widely publicized cases involving mishandled sensitive and highly classified government documents.  As a matter of fact, if reports are accurate, some of the national secrets put at risk by these breaches involve plans outlining strategies our military might employ in the event of military attack on the United States.

Let me say that again … it has been reported that these outrageous security failures could have revealed and endangered military plans for the protection of the United States.

Clearly, my personal umbrage here flows from my experience as both a military veteran with a respect for national security, and as an American citizen.  Beyond that, though, my outrage is made even more intense by the fact that my grandson is in the military meaning that, for me and any other citizen with a loved one serving to protect us, this is more than a mere academic discussion.

When all is said and done, it matters not in the slightest whether secret government documents were mishandled by a low-level enlisted Airman using sensitive information to impress friends in an internet chat room, or a former President displaying classified documents to dazzle big deal impresarios at a club in Florida.  Both of these malefactors must be taken to task and be made to answer for their actions.

Independent Special Prosecutor, Jack Smith, says it best:

We have one set of laws in this country and they apply to everyone