An email that turned up on my computer said: “On our way home from giving a presentation … last night, we stopped in Damariscotta to join one of the anti-ICE vigils and marches around the country. I was expecting to join a dozen or so of the faithful with signs, being ignored or greeted with hostility by the rest of the world. Imagine my surprise to find both sides of the bridge filled with people – more than 300!”

People turning out en masse to protest arguably proves that the entire country is putty in the hands of Donald Trump. He is succeeding in dividing us, determining our actions and bringing mindless liberals down to his level. I read somewhere that Donald Trump is “a dirtbag” (in the words of a CNN analyst), which tells me exactly nothing except that a liberal with a somewhat limited vocabulary is venting his or her frustration. Is there a need for name-calling?

On the cover of This Week magazine is a picture of the charming young Huckabee woman, who was refused service in some now-famous restaurant.

Should anyone be refused service in a restaurant? You might get up from your table, pay the bill and quietly explain to the cashier that as long as the customer at Table 7 eats there, you will not. Faced with the prospect of empty tables and economic ruin, would the owner then be justified in politely asking the dirtbag at Table 7 to eat elsewhere?

Can you see that not only our language but also our tolerance for cruelty and mischief have suddenly changed? If you disagree with someone who does not share the hardwiring in your brain, you now insult them, refuse them service or run them down with your car.

Last November, my brother called my attention to a book with the foreboding title “Inside the Criminal Mind.” The author, Dr. Stanton E. Samenow, a psychologist who specializes in the evaluation and treatment of juvenile and adult criminals, wrote the book over 30 years ago.

Any rational person reading the book, which clearly defines the actions and thought patterns of a criminal, would be forced to admit that the president of the United States has a criminal mind. This is not name-calling. Run through the long list and see if he fits the paradigm. Does he lie? Does he enjoy deceiving others? Does he boast that he is better, smarter and stronger than the suckers he has fleeced? The list is a long one, and every item on it is a characteristic blatantly flaunted by Donald Trump.

The bottom line is that we elected a man with a criminal mind to lead our country for four years. A person with a criminal mind gets his jollies by doing things that are either illegal or forbidden by Mrs. Grundy. And everyone in the world, except a few Republicans, sees Donald Trump going out of his way to create chaos, crisis and disruption.

Can you blame any man for having a criminal mind? Can you hold accountable a football player who has been conked on the head so many times that he ends up killing others and then himself? It’s not a good thing to do, but is he to blame?

Because the president comes across as a lying braggart who cares for naught, he is admired by millions of honest and frustrated people who are frustrated because they continually vote against their own economic interests. You may disagree and bristle if you like, but most of the world’s press describes the majority of his supporters as unlettered hardworking folk who are easily manipulated.

You read of the anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement rallies across our fair land. Perhaps it is good to get out with a sign and protest injustice, as one can look at the crowd and see who one’s friends are. But if the same amount of energy were expended in knocking on doors and getting out the independent vote at election time, many feel that the world would be a safer and less contentious place in which to live.

Remember that in this land of the free, getting 3 million votes more than your opponent does not ensure your election. We read that five times we have had presidents who did not win the popular vote. So to make assurance doubly sure, our neighbors who do not believe that New York City will be underwater (in less time than it has existed) must be swamped at the polls.

Being a criminal does not mean that one is simple. If the protesters are given reason to be on the streets for a few more months, will they run short of time and energy come November?

Protesting gives one a sense of purpose, but couldn’t those who don’t like what is happening better express their frustration by knocking on doors and asking their independent neighbors to get out and vote?

The humble Farmer can be heard Friday nights at 7 on WHPW (97.3 FM) and visited at his website:

www.thehumblefarmer.com/ MainePrivateRadio.html

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