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United States News Title: Following President's orders to report threats, I'm reporting Trump as a dangerous leader Indeed, many people have noticed that the young man who committed the recent mass murder at a high school in Parkland, Fla., sent out multiple “red flags” warning how dangerous he was, and have lamented the fact that no one in the community responded in such a way as to restrain him from acting on his violent impulses. Many say authorities did not intervene where they could and should have. We have an analogous situation with a dangerous leader who has access to far more lethal weapons than an AR-15. Following the President’s words, I am reporting again to authorities, both as a citizen and a mental health professional, and making a record here. The authorities, in the case I am describing, would first be the U.S. Congress. I have done so before and, so far, there has been no action. I have been told the reason why: the Republicans are in charge, and it is up to them. I was told that many knew of Republican lawmakers who were concerned behind closed doors, but they were unlikely either to express their concerns in public or to take action. This was plainly demonstrated when they wished to pass legislation, as the tax bill in December 2017: even those who had previously voiced concerns to the media fell silent to rally around the President. Since Congress would not act, next was the people. The people themselves had been expressing genuine concern for a while, through pundits and entertainers, but in the midst of misinformation, lies and manipulations from the White House, the general mood remained one of confusion, division and underestimation of the dangers. A large group of mental health professionals who had been warning about the dangers for months spoke up again, with a consensus among thousands behind them, risking even their personal safety and professional standing. Then, much like the gun lobby, the leadership of their own professional association (not the membership, which has been resigning in droves for this reason) stepped in to silence their voices. The association needed to make unprecedented modifications to the longstanding “Goldwater rule,” in the opposite direction of science (March 16, 2017), in order to stifle the warnings. It also needed to restrict the mandatory “duty to warn,” let alone any “duty to protect,” in opposition to the trend of numerous court cases over several decades (Oct. 6, 2017), in order to make the warnings not apply. But if we followed the President’s words, he himself has instructed us to “report such instances to authorities, again and again.” Hence, here is another try, this time through the President’s own words, any one utterance of which should be a “red flag” warning on the future potential for violence: • “I’d like to punch him in the face, I’ll tell you…. I love the old days. You know what they used to do to guys like that when they were in a place like this? They’d be carried out on a stretcher, folks” (Feb. 22, 2016). • “So if you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of them, would you? Seriously. Okay. Just knock the hell — I promise you, I will pay for the legal fees. I promise” (Feb. 1, 2016). Donald Trump in the White House • “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Ave. and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose voters” (Jan. 23, 2016). • “If [Hillary Clinton] gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second Amendment people — maybe there is, I don’t know” (Aug. 6, 2016). • “I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet … I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab ’em by the pussy” (2005, revealed on Oct. 7, 2016). • “I would bring back waterboarding. And I’d bring back a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding” (Feb. 6, 2016). • “Somebody hits us within ISIS, you wouldn’t fight back with a nuke?” (March 30, 2016). • “Europe is a big place, I’m not going to take [using nuclear weapons] off the table” (March 31, 2016). • “North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen…. They will be met with fire, fury and frankly power the likes of which this world has never seen before” (Aug. 8, 2017). • “The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea…. Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself” (Aug. 17, 2017). Nikolas Cruz appears in court for a status hearing before Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer on Feb. 19. He is facing 17 charges of premeditated murder in the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. (Mike Stocker/TNS) • “Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won’t be around much longer!” (Sept. 23, 2017). • “I think there is blame on both sides…. But you also had people that were very fine people on both sides,” addressing also the white-supremacist group that jammed a car into a group of counter-protesters and killed a person (Aug. 15, 2017). • Retweet of violent anti-Muslim videos by British hate group, Britain First, leading to outrage by the British Parliament (Nov. 26, 2017). • “North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the ‘Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.’ Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!” (Jan. 2, 2018). These are clear statements and acts of verbal aggression, sexual aggression, incitement to violence, endorsement of violence, encouragement of assassination, promotion of violent imagery, and actual threats and taunting of a hostile nation with nuclear power. You do not have to have studied the causes and prevention of violence for 20 years, as I have, to notice there is a pattern. To dismiss these as jokes, mistakes or strategic pandering to his “base” ignores the fact that his position of power makes those who hear them take him seriously and act upon them, causing a danger to public health. In his latest tweet, the President said: “Very sad that the FBI missed all of the many signals sent out by the Florida school shooter. This is not acceptable” (Feb. 17, 2018). To miss all of the many signals sent out by the President himself will be unacceptable. Considering Mr. Trump as one of the authorities, I am following his words to say: Mr. President, please submit to a proper examination. If you do not wish to, you can always resign. Your dangerousness concerns the position you hold and the arsenal you have access to. Once you are no longer in that position, you will not be a danger. Lee is a psychiatry professor at Yale University. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 1.
#1. To: buckeroo (#0)
A lot of attention-whoring here. She must be settled in academia or she wouldn't say this stuff. She sounds unserious, not like someone who treats serious mental illness. I think she's already badly damaged her reputation. And she won't stop. Pretty dumb, for an Asian.
#2. To: Tooconservative (#1)
She is not licensed to "practice" psychiatry.
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