“The U.S. officially became the world’s largest banana republic last night during the debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. As viewers watched in disbelief, Trump threatened the former secretary of state, telling her that in a Trump Administration, she’d be going to jail.”

Mr. Sniffles Goes to Washington

The evening began with observers noting that Trump once again had the sniffles; that he was, in fact, sniffling prodigiously. (#snifflingtrump #sniff #sniffles).

They offered a variety of explanations.

Trump may have something up his nose. (Children often jam objects such as beans, peas, and peanuts up their noses.) Or Trump may have allergies. Or Trump may be picking his nose too often, or too aggressively. No one, however, offered any explanation for why Trump is never seen sniffling during campaign speeches.

Those who have at some point in their lives may have abused drugs — a description fitting as many Republicans as Democrats — almost unanimously favored a simpler explanation: Trump is snorting something that causes sniffling.

What condition his condition was in

Almost immediately Trump condemned Clinton’s conduct during the email scandal — which according to the FBI was careless but not illegal — proposing the appointment of a special prosecutor and saying if he became President he would “instruct my Attorney General to get a special prosecutor to look into your(Clinton’s) situation, because there’s never been so many lies, so much deception.”

His words are worth quoting in full, so there should be no mistake:

TRUMP: I’ll tell you what. I didn’t think I’d say this, and I’m going to say it, and hate to say it: If I win, I’m going to instruct the attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation because there’s never been so many lies, so much deception … A very expensive process, so we’re going to get a special prosecutor because people have been, their lives have been destroyed for doing one-fifth of what you’ve done. And it’s a disgrace, and honestly, you ought to be ashamed.

48 hours after the world heard Donald Trump explain to Billy Bush that when you’re rich and famous you can “grab them by the pussy” with impunity, because they won’t, or can’t, complain, he was telling a woman that she should be ashamed. What do psychiatrists call that? Displacement?

They certainly don’t call it chutzpah. Donald Trump told America in no uncertain terms that he cannot be embarrassed. That he has no shame.

That he is, in short, a sociopath.

Clinton’s replied, “It’s just awfully good that someone with the temperament of Donald Trump is not in charge of the law in our country.”

To which Trump retorted: ‘Because you’d be in jail.”

And nobody said anything about it. No one said a word.

Really? Really Anderson Cooper? Martha Raddatz?

“Hey Donald! This ain’t Honduras. We don’t do that here.”

Me, I don’t even like Hillary Clinton. I like her running mate even less.

Her campaign was very efficient in stealing enough primaries from Bernie Sanders to make her the Democratic nominee for President. Her “win” will always have an asterisk beside it, like the one next to the home-run record of juiced-up Mark McGwire.

But that’s not important now. Why?

Because in front of America last night Donald Trump admitted that — like some tin-horn General with a medal on his uniform for every 1,000 peasants massacred — he badly wanted to use the power of the presidency to forcibly silence critics and opponents. He said it out loud and in front of millions of Americans.

No dog whistles this time. You could not miss his meaning.

No joy in Mudville again

It is the sort of talk you hear in countries where peaceful transitions of power are as rare as World Series won by the Chicago Cubs.

Like Honduras, which is ironic, because Hillary Clinton is the latest American viceroy tipping the scales against the legitimate aspirations of the Honduran people. The repression unleashed violence that has led Honduras, the original banana republic, to become known as “the most dangerous country on the planet.”

STALKER TRUMP RESISTING URGE TO “GRAB HIM SOME”

Before last night, if I thought about Donald Trump, I’d have described his as ‘cartoonish.’ Not anymore. Donald Trump is America’s worst nightmare. He’s a thug. We can only be grateful that black boots and riding crops are no longer in fashion.

Here’s what I need to say, to every American within earshot: “Hey Donald! This ain’t Honduras. We don’t do that here.”

Ask Il Duce…. This will not end well.

I don’t expect Trump to be interested in any advice but his own.But I hope a simple admonition might get through to him, a phrase he’d heard from lawyers many times as they offer to sue, the phrase which they invariably use to end their letters.

“Conduct yourself accordingly.”