"He has tried to install a loyalist as the top lawyer at the National Security Agency, either to burrow him in or to get the green light for dumping NSA documents before he leaves office..."
Real question: Given Trump's ignorance for the protocols and processes of government, as well as his disdain for expertise beyond his own (limited) k…
"He has tried to install a loyalist as the top lawyer at the National Security Agency, either to burrow him in or to get the green light for dumping NSA documents before he leaves office..."
Real question: Given Trump's ignorance for the protocols and processes of government, as well as his disdain for expertise beyond his own (limited) knowledge, could he really have made the decision to bury poison pills in the body of government?
Of course, this is but one example. His broad use of "acting" secretaries and appointees, his announcements by tweet to fire the Secretary of Defense and others, his selection of clearly unqualified nominees as advisors, diplomats, and judges, and his subversion of normative actions like VP Pence overturning Congress's certification of EC votes stand out as egregious violations of effective government or good executive management. Do you really this Trump is/was smart enough to make these happen?
If there is indeed a "deep state" it is those with much greater knowledge of how the government bureaucracy works, who understand the difficulties of dislodging certain appointees, and whose real purpose is to burrow into the minutes of government administration and seek opportunities for disruption. Trump's limited attention span and his propensity to flit from topic to topic according to the whims of his stream of consciousness are surely tracked by a cadre of people whose job it is to say, "hey, how's about we try this?"
Stephen Miller is a malicious and malevolent individual, but he's smart enough to obsess over ways to pervert practical or moral policies in search of ones to do the most harm. It's no surprise that people with even a residual of morality or self preservation have bailed out, leaving Miller, McCarthy, McConnell, and others like them, to be the sweepers behind the elephants of Trump's brain.
I'm hard pressed to give credence to the notion that Trump is some evil genius, or I should say I believe he's evil but no genius. Trump's been enabled by smart, even capable malcontents who've hidden behind the skirts of his outrageous addiction to being the biggest, the best, and seeking credit for everything he thinks he can get away with. Biden's team, especially the Department of Justice, as well as the House and Senate judicial, intelligence, ethics, and rules committees, must take stock how Trump came so close to undermining damn near everything we might have believed to be good and Constitutionally directed government. They must act to install implants to replace the teeth of the law, and must determine how to give Constitutional powers the means to enforce adherence to, and compliance with, the rules and demands of lawfully convened authorities.
Trump will surely, and rightly, shoulder the blame for this Administration's fiascos. However, he shouldn't receive the credit for masterminding the undoing of America. He's just not that sharp or attentive, unless it's to discern personal slights. He had help, and those people should be hung in the gibbets outside the White House, Congress, and the Supreme Court to remind us not to let this happen again.
Spot on! But Steven Miller may only be Trump’s handler and is likely not alone. This was a long and well planned attack on democracy. Trump is an idiot and no way do I get convinced he had the intelligence to plan or executed this on his own. I fear the head of the snake is still out there and unknown, regrouping and grooming their next Trump. Bannon, Barr, Murdock, Miller. ... watch the dark money.
Elaine, Hawley has exposed himself as a power hungry monster. Willing to do what it takes to take up the mantle of what is left of tRump's supporters. We can see him coming and we can stop him. He is a good example of what is bad about naked ambition.
My political awakening came with moving to MA 40 years ago almost to the day. I discovered CVW soon after. His work helps to reduce my ignorance, which is a lifelong struggle.
Maybe just Trump's square. But could that be part of the strategy? Motivate the activists. Country askew. Meanwhile, sneak... And the money trail goes where? Shell companies. Foreign governments. Very rich people. Maybe we can invent a game called, "Follow the Money."
Stephen Miller has a lot of evil on his account. He is far from alone. One of the maneuvers the enablers like McConnell are already trying, is to limit the blame to a few visible people like Tя☭mp himself and Miller, and avoid their own responsibility.
Someone asked on Twitter what Stephen Miller's next job would be. One of those "wrong answer only" questions, but I think I may have gotten it right: Summer Camp Counselor for kids of parents that hate them.
Sharon, I only had just so long to write this reply as I was on my way to Physical Therapy!!There are no doubt dozens, if not hundreds, who we've never heard of but have twisted minds and moral vacuums.
Bravo, Scott. You have managed to articulately convey what I have been saying for his entre term. He is horrifyingly ignorant, but manipulative, and has been coached - probably since before his "birther" schtick against Obama. The attack against Barack Obama played well with the racists in this country and helped him to build his base. His bromance with Putin certainly casts suspicion on Russia as being involved in his assault on our country and its Constitution. The evil, but sophisticated people who surround Trump have been playing "hey, what about this" since his unfortunate election and have utilized him as a useful idiot.
Every time that Trump and his loyalists, along with media groups like Fox, brayed about the Deep State, I knew that they were representing the real Deep State.
I agree. Trump and his loyalists represent the real Deep State. Le Carre moles embedded in our government destroying, eroding, trashing, assaulting our institutions and Constitution from the inside. Domestic terrorists. Our elected representative enablers let it happen giving them free rein--no pushback--putting party before country to further their own political future>power, $$$$$. Pence, McConnell etc etc. Now they self-servingly scramble to rehabilitate themselves to appear statesmanlike and be on record as defenders of the Constitution. Really? Couldn't stand listening to McConnell. He's got a good authoritative voice and picks the right words which to the gullible give him credence. Fortunately Pence miscalculated and is toast. Was in waaay over his head, peeing in his pants for 4 yrs hoping, waiting for providential guidance, yet with ambitious overreach with eye on being president. He would have been a calamitous one. Can Schumer stand up to machiavellian McConnell? Not be outmaneuvered? I worry. Late comment...distracted trying to keep up with unfolding events.
I thought exactly that back in the '70s, when his cruel, unethical exploits first were published. When his plans for running for the presidency were first announced, I scoffed. Silly me. What most of us didn't consider was that malicious entities were acting behind the scenes.
What is really upsetting is how easily the masses are entertained. All that we wanted was tRump to continue to stir us up. And it is what we got. Massive amounts of entertainment that almost destroyed our Republic.
Deutsche bank isn't the one supporting all tRUMPs entangled empire. he claimed $430 millionin debt which maybe DB was stupid enough to lend him but considering all his bankruptcies and the number of payoffs he's had to make AND the fact he's still breathing means the Russians want the access someone as stupid as him can provide.
Well, I agree with that. But there are so many others with skin in the game, and they all seem to be using each other. I am trying to understand this. I would be happy to discover that Stephen Miller is THE problem. But what about all the others? Paul Manafort, for example.
I can't answer that with a list of names but I think I have just lived through 4 years of "It Takes a Village to Dissolve a Democracy" and we've only squeaked by. If Miller wasn't the main driver, then at bare minimum, throw in Steve Bannon, and all of the dark money backers into the mix.
The dark money suppliers are prime here. Putin has certainly done whatever his hackers can to push Tя☭mp along. Don't forget all the minions who didn't last - Jeff Sessions got the anti-immigrant horrors started, and had the Justice Dept depart its original mission of protecting civil rights.
Nope, not being used. He is the co-architect of kidnapping children from their families. 640+ are yet to be found. His co-conspirator, Jeff Sessions. Stephen Miller’s Jewish parents and relatives disowned him as his grandparents were Holocaust survivors, as were mine. He and his wife just had a baby girl. Let that sink in.
It is horrific but he is very useable. I think the worst thing about evil is it’s lack of passion. He seems like he would fit quite well in the coat pockets Of power.
Is it not just possible that even if one has only been in post 1 day that there is a personal, financial or other advantage when your "resignation" is requested the next day. It would very much be in their mould...doing favors for friends and clients at the publics expense!
My concern is that his mission in his one day is to destroy various records and files that would be seriously damaging to the Trump administration if uncovered. Even one day’s access could destroy a lot, especially if you go in with a list.
I have thought much the same these last 4 years, and while Trump will likely fade into oblivion, maybe even jail, those handlers aren't going anywhere. They will find some new nasty way to worm their way into the graces of the next narcissistic POTUS-wannabe or the like. This isn't their endgame.
As we have recently found out, there are “unqualified” people who are entrenched in government jobs now. Biden cannot simply remove some of them but he can make their lives miserable. Their jobs are secure for at least two years but he can make it where they get a paycheck by simply doing nothing. Maybe people will be hired to quietly harass these jerks into quitting. That’s my hope anyway...that we play dirty to get them out of government.
I join the many other readers who have chimed in. There is no way Trump came up with the various hamstringing, burrowing, and despoiling moves, whether in the last weeks or throughout his "administration." Certainly Miller or other headline names could have come up with one or another nefarious idea. But it seems to me the more likely sources of long-term plans to either keep government bodies as useful servants, and/or undermine their power and utility are the raft of various shell-bodies set up to plan and implement the plutocracy. The name list of these think tanks, business associations, public interest groups, etc. has shifted over time. But the money behind them has had consistent, familiar names: Koch, Mercer, Mellon Scaife, Thiel, DeVos, etc. It is definitely not paranoid to think that these people have hired lots of skilled, industrious planners whose goals are definitely not for the benefit of the bulk of the population.
I agree. Trump has his enablers, but there is enormous power and money at the root of all of it. His obeisance to Putin is also concerning, and I can't help but wonder where he could fit into the picture.
It is of course possible that Putin has been an enabler, but I haven't seen anything documented to suggest he has felt the need to inject any capital into the fray--beyond funding his troll farms, of course. I think he has just seen Trump as a pretty much free gift that keeps on giving. In contrast, for active support for everything from campaign donations to ALEC essentially writing laws locally and federally, see Mayer's "Dark Money" and McLean's "Democracy in Chains." For a brief, more recent take on the usual suspects, see:
Thank you for the suggested reading. Since it's late, I'll open the link tomorrow morning. I doubt that Putin has invested any money, but he has some hold over Trump, and it wouldn't surprise me if he promised some future business opportunities. As for dark money, I have no doubt that it is a major factor in this nightmare. We know that these businesses are desperate to maintain their stranglehold and not give an inch to citizens who might interfere with their control. Anyone who thinks otherwise hasn't been paying attention.
However, that last sentence "...those people should be hung in the gibbets outside the White House, Congress, and the Supreme Court..." It's rhetoric like this that inspired me to end my subscription to the Wall Street Journal when Obama was president. Page after page of similar comments. It's rhetoric like this that the rioters chanted as they murdered police and destroyed the doors and windows on January 6th. Sadly, I see a lot of that rhetoric in these very replies to Letters from an American.
While we all may feel the same angst about our nation's politics, we would be better served if that kind of talk was toned way down. The quote above would be normal for (soon to be) Mr. tRump. Why stoop so low as to match it? Just think of what comments like that coming from POTUS did on January 6th.
Tom, good point. I was thinking of it less as the specific act of retributive violence than I was a memorable reminder that bad behavior has consequences.
Sabine, I'm not prone to paranoia, or at least I haven't been up until now. And even though a read many a political thriller and thought, yeah, that COULD happen, it wasn't until now that it not only could, butt probably has, under this Administration.
Yes, it feels like we've all landed in the wrong movie. And sorry, I did not mean to be offensive with the paranoid - I sometimes doubt myself if I'm paranoid or not.
"He has tried to install a loyalist as the top lawyer at the National Security Agency, either to burrow him in or to get the green light for dumping NSA documents before he leaves office..."
Real question: Given Trump's ignorance for the protocols and processes of government, as well as his disdain for expertise beyond his own (limited) knowledge, could he really have made the decision to bury poison pills in the body of government?
Of course, this is but one example. His broad use of "acting" secretaries and appointees, his announcements by tweet to fire the Secretary of Defense and others, his selection of clearly unqualified nominees as advisors, diplomats, and judges, and his subversion of normative actions like VP Pence overturning Congress's certification of EC votes stand out as egregious violations of effective government or good executive management. Do you really this Trump is/was smart enough to make these happen?
If there is indeed a "deep state" it is those with much greater knowledge of how the government bureaucracy works, who understand the difficulties of dislodging certain appointees, and whose real purpose is to burrow into the minutes of government administration and seek opportunities for disruption. Trump's limited attention span and his propensity to flit from topic to topic according to the whims of his stream of consciousness are surely tracked by a cadre of people whose job it is to say, "hey, how's about we try this?"
Stephen Miller is a malicious and malevolent individual, but he's smart enough to obsess over ways to pervert practical or moral policies in search of ones to do the most harm. It's no surprise that people with even a residual of morality or self preservation have bailed out, leaving Miller, McCarthy, McConnell, and others like them, to be the sweepers behind the elephants of Trump's brain.
I'm hard pressed to give credence to the notion that Trump is some evil genius, or I should say I believe he's evil but no genius. Trump's been enabled by smart, even capable malcontents who've hidden behind the skirts of his outrageous addiction to being the biggest, the best, and seeking credit for everything he thinks he can get away with. Biden's team, especially the Department of Justice, as well as the House and Senate judicial, intelligence, ethics, and rules committees, must take stock how Trump came so close to undermining damn near everything we might have believed to be good and Constitutionally directed government. They must act to install implants to replace the teeth of the law, and must determine how to give Constitutional powers the means to enforce adherence to, and compliance with, the rules and demands of lawfully convened authorities.
Trump will surely, and rightly, shoulder the blame for this Administration's fiascos. However, he shouldn't receive the credit for masterminding the undoing of America. He's just not that sharp or attentive, unless it's to discern personal slights. He had help, and those people should be hung in the gibbets outside the White House, Congress, and the Supreme Court to remind us not to let this happen again.
Spot on! But Steven Miller may only be Trump’s handler and is likely not alone. This was a long and well planned attack on democracy. Trump is an idiot and no way do I get convinced he had the intelligence to plan or executed this on his own. I fear the head of the snake is still out there and unknown, regrouping and grooming their next Trump. Bannon, Barr, Murdock, Miller. ... watch the dark money.
I think Hawley. Articulate, determined, bright. It pains me to have said that!
Elaine, Hawley has exposed himself as a power hungry monster. Willing to do what it takes to take up the mantle of what is left of tRump's supporters. We can see him coming and we can stop him. He is a good example of what is bad about naked ambition.
Let’s see what transpires with those who instigated this riot. He was one of them and hopefully there will be a penalty.
He’s the Tom Watson of this moment.
Good catch, George. C Vann Woodward reader, right?
Yes, taught the Woodward book on Watson 40 years ago..
My political awakening came with moving to MA 40 years ago almost to the day. I discovered CVW soon after. His work helps to reduce my ignorance, which is a lifelong struggle.
Absolutely, all of them, aided by dark money.
Stephen Miller, certainly, but also Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn, and maybe others whose names we never heard.
Let’s not forget Tillerson, Pompeo, Rosenstein, Barr, DeJoy, Moscow Mitch and a laundry list of forgettable “acting” enablers, too!
So, if Trump was a game, what would the gameboard look like, and who would the players be, and what would be the ultimate prize?
Becky, I'm not sure exactly what game it'd be, but I envision it with the board askew and the pieces strewn all over the floor!
Maybe just Trump's square. But could that be part of the strategy? Motivate the activists. Country askew. Meanwhile, sneak... And the money trail goes where? Shell companies. Foreign governments. Very rich people. Maybe we can invent a game called, "Follow the Money."
When I watched "Get Me Roger Stone," I realized that some of the players do see this as a game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IPyv4KgTAA
Celebrity Inmate
Janice, see above. If not endless, the list is indeed long.
All trolls to be sure, but, Steven Miller is the one behind the curtain working mostly unseen to undermine much of what we hold dear.
Stephen Miller has a lot of evil on his account. He is far from alone. One of the maneuvers the enablers like McConnell are already trying, is to limit the blame to a few visible people like Tя☭mp himself and Miller, and avoid their own responsibility.
Someone asked on Twitter what Stephen Miller's next job would be. One of those "wrong answer only" questions, but I think I may have gotten it right: Summer Camp Counselor for kids of parents that hate them.
Sharon, I only had just so long to write this reply as I was on my way to Physical Therapy!!There are no doubt dozens, if not hundreds, who we've never heard of but have twisted minds and moral vacuums.
“The sweepers behind the elephants of Trump’s brain”. Wow, just wow.
Bravo, Scott. You have managed to articulately convey what I have been saying for his entre term. He is horrifyingly ignorant, but manipulative, and has been coached - probably since before his "birther" schtick against Obama. The attack against Barack Obama played well with the racists in this country and helped him to build his base. His bromance with Putin certainly casts suspicion on Russia as being involved in his assault on our country and its Constitution. The evil, but sophisticated people who surround Trump have been playing "hey, what about this" since his unfortunate election and have utilized him as a useful idiot.
Every time that Trump and his loyalists, along with media groups like Fox, brayed about the Deep State, I knew that they were representing the real Deep State.
I agree. Trump and his loyalists represent the real Deep State. Le Carre moles embedded in our government destroying, eroding, trashing, assaulting our institutions and Constitution from the inside. Domestic terrorists. Our elected representative enablers let it happen giving them free rein--no pushback--putting party before country to further their own political future>power, $$$$$. Pence, McConnell etc etc. Now they self-servingly scramble to rehabilitate themselves to appear statesmanlike and be on record as defenders of the Constitution. Really? Couldn't stand listening to McConnell. He's got a good authoritative voice and picks the right words which to the gullible give him credence. Fortunately Pence miscalculated and is toast. Was in waaay over his head, peeing in his pants for 4 yrs hoping, waiting for providential guidance, yet with ambitious overreach with eye on being president. He would have been a calamitous one. Can Schumer stand up to machiavellian McConnell? Not be outmaneuvered? I worry. Late comment...distracted trying to keep up with unfolding events.
The slumlord from NY. Hated, despised, and never to return.
I thought exactly that back in the '70s, when his cruel, unethical exploits first were published. When his plans for running for the presidency were first announced, I scoffed. Silly me. What most of us didn't consider was that malicious entities were acting behind the scenes.
What is really upsetting is how easily the masses are entertained. All that we wanted was tRump to continue to stir us up. And it is what we got. Massive amounts of entertainment that almost destroyed our Republic.
Do you remember the 2016 primaries? Tя☭mp was the one who looked at least half liberal.
I've gotta come up with something instead of "hate". Too used.
Abhorred, detested, loathed, regarded with disgust, scorned, abominated...
Abhorrent, despicable, unkind, monstrous, cruel, sack of💩...
Jailed!
Exactly.
Two words: Stephen Miller.
I hate to mention this word but . .....Russians
Deutsche bank isn't the one supporting all tRUMPs entangled empire. he claimed $430 millionin debt which maybe DB was stupid enough to lend him but considering all his bankruptcies and the number of payoffs he's had to make AND the fact he's still breathing means the Russians want the access someone as stupid as him can provide.
Stephen Miller is a white supremist, a person motivated by hate. While he has an agenda, I suspect that ultimately he is also being used.
Respectfully, I have to disagree. He is a classic user. I believe he has been doing a lot of the orchestrations of evil wrongdoing.
Well, I agree with that. But there are so many others with skin in the game, and they all seem to be using each other. I am trying to understand this. I would be happy to discover that Stephen Miller is THE problem. But what about all the others? Paul Manafort, for example.
I can't answer that with a list of names but I think I have just lived through 4 years of "It Takes a Village to Dissolve a Democracy" and we've only squeaked by. If Miller wasn't the main driver, then at bare minimum, throw in Steve Bannon, and all of the dark money backers into the mix.
The dark money suppliers are prime here. Putin has certainly done whatever his hackers can to push Tя☭mp along. Don't forget all the minions who didn't last - Jeff Sessions got the anti-immigrant horrors started, and had the Justice Dept depart its original mission of protecting civil rights.
Yes. I agree.
Nope, not being used. He is the co-architect of kidnapping children from their families. 640+ are yet to be found. His co-conspirator, Jeff Sessions. Stephen Miller’s Jewish parents and relatives disowned him as his grandparents were Holocaust survivors, as were mine. He and his wife just had a baby girl. Let that sink in.
It is horrific but he is very useable. I think the worst thing about evil is it’s lack of passion. He seems like he would fit quite well in the coat pockets Of power.
Is it not just possible that even if one has only been in post 1 day that there is a personal, financial or other advantage when your "resignation" is requested the next day. It would very much be in their mould...doing favors for friends and clients at the publics expense!
My concern is that his mission in his one day is to destroy various records and files that would be seriously damaging to the Trump administration if uncovered. Even one day’s access could destroy a lot, especially if you go in with a list.
Good point, well made. The possibilities seem endless.
Darn
I have thought much the same these last 4 years, and while Trump will likely fade into oblivion, maybe even jail, those handlers aren't going anywhere. They will find some new nasty way to worm their way into the graces of the next narcissistic POTUS-wannabe or the like. This isn't their endgame.
As we have recently found out, there are “unqualified” people who are entrenched in government jobs now. Biden cannot simply remove some of them but he can make their lives miserable. Their jobs are secure for at least two years but he can make it where they get a paycheck by simply doing nothing. Maybe people will be hired to quietly harass these jerks into quitting. That’s my hope anyway...that we play dirty to get them out of government.
I join the many other readers who have chimed in. There is no way Trump came up with the various hamstringing, burrowing, and despoiling moves, whether in the last weeks or throughout his "administration." Certainly Miller or other headline names could have come up with one or another nefarious idea. But it seems to me the more likely sources of long-term plans to either keep government bodies as useful servants, and/or undermine their power and utility are the raft of various shell-bodies set up to plan and implement the plutocracy. The name list of these think tanks, business associations, public interest groups, etc. has shifted over time. But the money behind them has had consistent, familiar names: Koch, Mercer, Mellon Scaife, Thiel, DeVos, etc. It is definitely not paranoid to think that these people have hired lots of skilled, industrious planners whose goals are definitely not for the benefit of the bulk of the population.
As Mary Trump has said, her uncle was trained by his father to be the tool of smarter, more powerful men.
Yes, I think this is getting closer. Moneyed interests. Keep government bodies as useful servants. Plan and implement plutocracy. I wan to know more.
I agree. Trump has his enablers, but there is enormous power and money at the root of all of it. His obeisance to Putin is also concerning, and I can't help but wonder where he could fit into the picture.
It is of course possible that Putin has been an enabler, but I haven't seen anything documented to suggest he has felt the need to inject any capital into the fray--beyond funding his troll farms, of course. I think he has just seen Trump as a pretty much free gift that keeps on giving. In contrast, for active support for everything from campaign donations to ALEC essentially writing laws locally and federally, see Mayer's "Dark Money" and McLean's "Democracy in Chains." For a brief, more recent take on the usual suspects, see:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jan/18/the-capitol-riot-wasnt-a-fringe-uprising-it-was-enabled-by-very-deep-pockets
Again, these folks are well organized, extremely well funded, and they ain't going anywhere.
Thank you for the suggested reading. Since it's late, I'll open the link tomorrow morning. I doubt that Putin has invested any money, but he has some hold over Trump, and it wouldn't surprise me if he promised some future business opportunities. As for dark money, I have no doubt that it is a major factor in this nightmare. We know that these businesses are desperate to maintain their stranglehold and not give an inch to citizens who might interfere with their control. Anyone who thinks otherwise hasn't been paying attention.
I liked what you had to say.
However, that last sentence "...those people should be hung in the gibbets outside the White House, Congress, and the Supreme Court..." It's rhetoric like this that inspired me to end my subscription to the Wall Street Journal when Obama was president. Page after page of similar comments. It's rhetoric like this that the rioters chanted as they murdered police and destroyed the doors and windows on January 6th. Sadly, I see a lot of that rhetoric in these very replies to Letters from an American.
While we all may feel the same angst about our nation's politics, we would be better served if that kind of talk was toned way down. The quote above would be normal for (soon to be) Mr. tRump. Why stoop so low as to match it? Just think of what comments like that coming from POTUS did on January 6th.
Tom, good point. I was thinking of it less as the specific act of retributive violence than I was a memorable reminder that bad behavior has consequences.
I too, have a problem with WSJ.
This makes more sense and is more frightening than what I imagined was going on behind the scenes of this administration.
Sounds slightly paranoid - but can't find a fault in the logic.
Just because we are paranoid doesn't mean they are not out to get us. tRump's inner circle needs to be convicted right along with him.
I, so very deeply agree with you.
Sabine, I'm not prone to paranoia, or at least I haven't been up until now. And even though a read many a political thriller and thought, yeah, that COULD happen, it wasn't until now that it not only could, butt probably has, under this Administration.
Yes, it feels like we've all landed in the wrong movie. And sorry, I did not mean to be offensive with the paranoid - I sometimes doubt myself if I'm paranoid or not.
Being surrounded by Trump supporters I often doubted myself until I started reading HCR’s letters and responses from her readers.
Isn’t that frightening? How powerful the repetition of lies can be?
You weren't offensive. If we're all not slightly nuts by now, we weren't living in the USA for the last few years.
It's helpful to remember that even paranoid have enemies.
Just because you're paranoid does not mean they're not out to get you. :)
So true!