Is this a Joke?

Is this a Joke?

By Tom Coffin

Could someone explain why Donald Trump is even our President? I am not being sarcastic. His resume for the job included an insurrection to overthrow our government. We are talking about our democracy, our constitution, and frankly our very freedoms gifted to us by our founders.  One would think that participation in an insurrection to overthrow our democratic system would be a fatal blow to future employment within that system. 

But here we are with him in charge of what he attempted to destroy.  They euphemistically call that an anomaly.  But it is what it is, and we must deal with the reality we are presented with.  And we must be realistic. A starting point should be Congress, which has the duty of signing off on any wars rather than some individual who has a vested interest in waging a war, or frankly, multiple wars. Trump has even insisted that he have the power to select foreign leaders in nations he is at war with, as if he was the United States itself.  

I literally have cried over the children that have died already in Iran from the bombs and missiles that have rained on them, delivered in our name, yet not authorized by our Congress, which is the only entity with the power to do so. Over 150 students in a girls’ elementary school died in that attack, and mistake or not, incompetence or not, that is the true inevitable cost of war and a major reason why Congress must be consulted and approve, not just a single individual.  

Democracy is not joke. War is not a joke. Whether Trump is a joke is debatable, but he reminds one of The Joker, armed with chaotic cruelty and a vengeful disposition, an agent of destruction concerned only with himself. 

We must march, rally, shout write, campaign and vote.

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Thomas Coffin was the keynote speaker at the Blackberry Pie Society’s Political Party in February, 2020 and at Politics and Pie in October, 2022.  He is a retired federal magistrate judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon and a former professor at the UO Law School. Thomas retired in 2016 after 24 years on the bench, prior to which he had a career as a federal prosecutor spanning 21 years. He is married with 7 children.  The Blackberry Pie Society is pleased to include a collection of his essays on our website.  We will post them as they become available.

posted 3.16.2026