At a recent address at the Capitol, Melanie Stansbury, a Democratic Representative from New Mexico, held up a sign that read, “This is not normal,” as the president entered the Congress chamber.
Moments later, Lance Gooden, an ardent supporter of the president and Republican representative from Texas, forcefully yanked the sign from Ms. Stansbury’s hands. Mr. Gooden apparently did not want the president to be bothered by such a message or have the theatrics interfered with.
Mr. Gooden’s actions however had the opposite effect, for they helped us realize in real-time that we were witnessing a sort of coronation for the would-be king who had, following the previous election, attempted to overthrow our government by gathering a bloodthirsty mob and unleashing them on this same Capitol, on January 6, 2021.
This was not normal. [I won’t here detail the many abnormal, evil or mentally ill things this president has done in the past, such as: 1] His repeatedly downplaying the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly early-on in 2020, even suggesting the virus would “disappear” on its own and promoting unproven treatments, like hydroxychloroquine; 2] His making lewd and degrading comments about women, including saying, “Grab them by the pussy,” which caused widespread backlash- he dismissed this statement as mere “locker room talk” [he would later be found civilly liable for sexual assault]; 3] His refusing to release his tax returns- it has been reported that Trump paid very little in federal income taxes in the years leading up to his presidency; 4] His creating derogatory nicknames for his political opponents- he called Hillary Clinton “Crooked Hillary,” Joe Biden “Sleepy Joe,” and referred to various Republican rivals as “Lyin’ Ted” [Ted Cruz] and “Little Marco” [Marco Rubio]; 5] After losing the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden, he made false claims that the election had been “stolen” from him, promoting the idea of widespread voter fraud without evidence, which culminated, as stated above, in the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot; 6] His making frequent statements that contradict established facts, such as when he claimed that he had the largest inauguration crowd in history, despite photographic evidence to the contrary, and his claim that wind turbines cause cancer; 7] His admiring authoritarian leaders, such as Vladimir Putin of Russia and others, and repeatedly downplaying or ignoring human rights abuses by these leaders; 8] His attempting to change the projected path of a hurricane with a sharpie pen; 9] His frequently attacking media outlets, calling them “fake news” and labeling specific reporters and outlets as “enemies of the people”- these attacks on the press were [and are] obvious attempt to undermine trust in the media and limit free speech; & 10] His multiple indictments and impeachments.]
What we are now seeing/experiencing is not normal.
The president is apparently controlled or at least greatly influenced by a would-be oligarch, who has been recently quoted as influencing or directing the president to “go after” those saying things about him and his companies he does not like. Government is now being weaponized by this, our de facto president.
It was recently publicly reported that said would-be oligarch is a ketamine user. The effects of ketamine were recently reported in an article by the Atlantic, entitled, “What Ketamine Does to the Human Brain.” The article states, in part, “Excessive use of the drug [ketamine] can make anyone feel like they rule the world.” The article continues, “Musk has said he uses ketamine regularly, so for the past couple of years, public speculation has persisted about how much he takes, whether he’s currently high, or how it might affect his behavior.” The article also states [quoting from a prior article in the New Yorker], “Musk’s ‘associates’ worried that ketamine, ‘alongside his isolation and his increasingly embattled relationship with the press, might contribute to his tendency to make chaotic and impulsive statements and decisions.'” The article highlights that “[k]etamine is called a dissociative drug because during a high . . . people might feel detached from their body, their emotions, or the passage of time. Frequent, heavy recreational use . . . has been linked to cognitive effects that last beyond the high, including impaired memory, delusional thinking, superstitious beliefs, and a sense of specialness and importance.”
A survey of the scientific literature reveals that ketamine can induce vivid sensory experiences, including visual and auditory distortions or even full-blown hallucinations. Ketamine can induce euphoria at lower doses and, at higher doses, it can impair memory, concentration and overall cognitive function, leading to confusion or difficulty processing thoughts. Ketamine can also make users feel anxious, paranoid or frightened. In persons who’ve taken high doses, ketamine can lead to irritability and aggression.
Nothing about the behavior of the persons now in charge of the United States is normal. And we must not “sane-wash” any of it or pretend that persons so clearly affected, even controlled, by their inner demons and/or drugs are acting in anyone’s interests, and that, somehow, something good or constructive will come from the chaos.
Representative Stansbury was right. This is not normal.