ED. NOTE: I never talk (much) or directly about political issues. Today I was moved to for a couple of reasons. The spectacle that is unfolding “out there” of unchecked evil rising to power (again) and an age-old pattern of revictimizing sexual assault victims in courtrooms, tidily presented in one offensive person.

No one likes to talk about sexual assault. Often least of all, women who have been its victims.

This week, I’ve watched and read in anger Donald Trump’s derisive and disrespectful conduct at the defamation trial brought by his rape victim, E. Jean Carroll.

For the record, can we step back for a minute and consider that Ms. Carroll is 80 years old? She’s not trying to build her resume or gain instant fame. Quite the contrary.

For me, that is significant. Society is largely incapable of handling sexual assault cases in any semblance of what might be deemed sensitivity, compassion, or a clear and collective understanding of the power dynamic that lands women in that unfortunate position.

I like that E. Jean Carroll is 80 and fighting this renewed fight against her attacker. She already won $5 million in a civil lawsuit against Trump for raping her in a department store fitting room some decades earlier.

So many elements of that victory astonished me. It astonished me that E. Jean Carroll was able to muster enough evidence to see Trump rendered accountable. It was not a criminal trial that she won, however, but a civil one.

That Trump had raped her was established and she was awarded damages accordingly.

She is back in court now charging Trump with defamation for the hatchet job he did on her reputation after she won the civil suit. Many women’s victories in this arena of the law are shaky and short-lived. People don’t like hurt women who talk about it.

I don’t know if Carroll ever saw or will see the money she was awarded. I haven’t been able to confirm that. What I do know is that Trump’s inflammatory remarks in the courtroom about her after the award made her life a living hell. She endured death threats from the lunatic fringe that supports Donald Trump “no matter what.”

There is so much that defies logic these days. Donald Trump is perhaps the biggest logical disconnect out there. I can hardly write what I’ve read. That Donald Trump is poised to become the de facto Republican nominee for the 2024 Presidential election. Please god, make it not so. At this juncture, it seems only an act of god will derail him.

Trump’s renewed rise in the Republican ranks proved and proves two deeply unfortunate things. Fanatics attached to would-be dictators have made up their minds and won’t be dissuaded by any facts that paint him or her as less than s/he advertises.

Trump’s lifelong con of projecting superior business ability and success is all that matters to many. Even more bizarre is that anyone thinks he has the best interests of the American people in mind.

This view is deeply held in spite of the economic carnage he foisted on many unfortunates – contractors, consultants, small businesspeople – who were caught up in the wake of the Trump juggernaut.

What doesn’t make sense is his supporters who come from deeply religious backgrounds. The man is a walking affront to any and all things decent, honest, sacred and, yes – religious. And yet, here we are.

I am now deeply worried that intelligent and powerful spokespeople are expressing their deep concern over his possible reelection as President of the United States. Michelle Obama. Kamala Harris.

It is akin to the feeling of helplessness watching a loved one (or in this case, an overwhelming segment of the population of the USA) battle with an addiction that inevitably will destroy them if they don’t switch tracks.

So in a New York courtroom this week, Trump continued his revictimization of E. Jean Carroll by audibly hurling insults that she could hear to the point the judge considered evicting him from the courtroom.

“I would love that,” he crowed.

He uses every opportunity employed by responsible adults in authority to check and modify his behavior as another feather in his political cap. It is not only astonishing, but, as Michelle Obama, said very recently the prospect of Trump’s reelection is “terrifying.”

A recent issue of The Atlantic magazine was wholly devoted to an analysis by expert authors in various public sectors like defense, economy, justice to opine on the likely and devastating impact of a second Trump presidency.

While I read that issue with great interest, my heart sank at the same time. The Atlantic is preaching to the choir. It is not the well-educated, socially and politically sensitive crowd who has Trump’s back. They are programmed not to pick up a copy of such a magazine but if presented with it, are similarly primed to dismiss it and its content out of hand.

“Fake news,” you see.

I am not sure how the hand at work in this particular epoch of American and global history is going to play out. Borrowing from Eve Arden’s character in the movie All About Eve, there is only one prediction I can make with certainty about this 2024 election cycle.

“Fasten your seat belts, folks. It’s going to be a bumpy year.”

Just like E. Jean Carroll, a lot of Americans are going to be revictimized if the unthinkable but possible reelection happens – whether they know it or not. Time for folks to revisit Hannah Arendt’s book, The Banality of Evil.

[If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline: Confidential 24/7 Support: 1 – 800 – 656 – 4673]