Around 1994, R. J. Rummel offered the term “democide” to define the “intentional killing of an unarmed or disarmed person by government agents acting in their authoritative capacity and pursuant to government policy or high command.”

Victims of democide include: “forced labor and concentration camp victims; killings by ‘unofficial’ private groups; extrajudicial summary killings; and mass deaths due to the governmental acts of criminal omission and neglect, such as in deliberate famines, as well as killings by de facto governments, i.e. civil war killings.”

In sum, this is governmentally sanctioned murder that is not based upon race or nationality (“genocide”) or political beliefs (“politicide”), but rather it is equal opportunity oppression for the purpose of advancing a “public policy” whereby members of said public are to be killed “for the common good” (as defined by rulers who never believe their deaths should be part of the policy).

Rummel believed that “democide surpassed war as the leading cause of non-natural death in the 20th century”; and its heinous practitioners names have been recorded in the annals of infamy—Hitler, Stalin, Mao, and others of their murderous and sadistic ilk.

Now, the seers in the media warn that the 21st century may well surpass the 20th century’s horrors, for there is arisen a new democidal maniac—Donald John Trump.

On the heels of instigating lethal governmental policies including the repeal of net neutrality, the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh, and the untethering of a “wild west” capitalist economy, President Trump has now loosed the very heavens against Americans of all parties and persuasions. Per the Washington Post:

Yet when it comes to extreme weather, Mr. Trump is complicit. He plays down humans’ role in increasing the risks, and he continues to dismantle efforts to address those risks. It is hard to attribute any single weather event to climate change. But there is no reasonable doubt that humans are priming the Earth’s systems to produce disasters.

True, as the Post concedes, it is impossible to attribute any instance of weather to climate change; but, what the hell, it is true that every change in weather constitutes climate change. Therefore, by the paper’s logic, denying that government can control the weather by yanking America out of the Paris Agreement, President Trump has ensured there will continue to be weather—like Hurricane Florence.

How President Trump has co-opted Goddess Gaia into being the Bonnie to his climate change denying Clyde is unknown (though perhaps knowledge of this plot this will be part of a cooperation agreement cut between convicted felon Paul Manafort and Special Counsel Robert Mueller).

Nor does the editorial explain why Trump wants to kill his own deplorable supporters along with his opponents. Perhaps they ascribe it to those “darker impulses” pundits and armchair psychoanalysts have diagnosed as churning around inside of Trump. After having been called “Hitler,” does Trump’s alleged narcissism compel him to surpass all the combined tyrants who committed democides? After all, he likes to be number one. Evidently, we’ll have to wait for the next Washington Post editorial or Weather Channel update to know for sure.

But there is one thing we can be sure of from this op-ed: Trump Derangement Syndrome is now passe; what’s all the rage is “Trump Death Syndrome,” namely the ability to claim the ultimate victim status at the president’s hands and warn other they will share the same fate.

In terms of messaging the American people, “We’re all gonna die! Vote Democrat!” may work in the midterms. But it lacks the compelling urgency of “Death Before Disco!” And it is a sad devolution into despair for the party that once told America, “the only thing we have to fear is…fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”

Now fear is all the Democrats have to offer. Well, actually, they offer fear and loathing—an even less auspicious foundation upon which to pursue one’s happiness; let alone with which to preserve and promote American exceptionalism.

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