Tramp, tramp, tramp: that’s the dead! (from Huckleberry Finn) or

Trump, Trump, Trump, that’s the dread.

There’s been a lot of noise in all media formats about The Donald. Sadly, media seeks ‘the sound bite’ over real content. Aside from journalists in places like The Toronto Star, most ‘news’ is produced as cheaply as possible.

((For example, what fraction of CTV newscasts are from ‘location’ when that location is no longer relevant? Outside a hockey arena after the game has been lost?

For example, what fraction of CTV newscast videos are repeats, in the same hour?

How many pictures of the unfortunate young girl shot down in the Eaton Centre are there? Exactly one, stolen from a Facebook page. Cropped, maybe, but for sure the same image.

How many ‘news insights’ end with the ‘expert’ closing with My Name, This Station, This city? We don’t already know that? It’s just cheap air time.))

Because of this focus on sound bites over content, this fundamental cheapness in news broadcasting, I blame the media in large part for the absurdity of Donald Trump’s surge toward being the Republican candidate for the President of the United States of America. (I might sarcastically note that, this is not the United States of ALL America, just as their baseball tournament isn’t really a World Series. But we self-deprecating Canadians must allow our southern neighbours their moments of grandeur.)

Trump is, imho, outrageous. I leave it to you to search for, for example, the Mitt Romney speech on The Donald. The Toronto Star is full of articles scrutinizing Trump’s ‘success’, decision-making prowess, whatever. Yet the parade charges forward, one outrageous speech at a time.

One think tank has put Trump being president of the USA in the middle of its Armageddon list of potential world disasters. A bit better than nuclear war, say. Assuming he doesn’t start one.

This is all dumb. There’s absolutely nothing I can do to change this, and there’s very little any single reader can do either. We may smile when our Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, says he trusts in the American people to do the right thing. There’s nothing Trudeau can do about it either.

It’s like global warming: we’re screwed. We aren’t going to do anything substantive despite a serious, clear and present danger.

May God have mercy on us all. I fear for my descendants.

Now for the dumb question. Mark Twain may not be rolling over in his grave, but do you think Abraham Lincoln is?