Danger! Danger Will Robinson!

A few of us baby-boomers (and maybe a few enlightened Millennials) might remember the old television series “Lost in Space.” An iconic bit on the show was the robot palling around with the child wunderkind Will. Whenever danger was present the robot would go wild, flashing lights, waving arms and warning “Danger! Danger Will Robinson!” The joke was that the robot never noticed the danger until it was obvious and long after the viewers. For some reason I was reminded of the bit after watching for myself the full comments of Donald Trump on the Second Amendment “solution” to Hillary. Maybe it was the man in the red shirt sitting behind Orange Jesus who couldn’t restrain his own shock at Trump’s comment. Like the robot in Lost in Space, the man could clearly be seen reacting with alarm and mouthing the word “WOW.”

The intent of Trump was clear. He should at least be interviewed by the Secret Service, if not investigated for a criminal act. He is a danger, escalating his threats from beating up opponents who attend his rallies to suggesting killing Hillary if she is elected President. However, the real danger is revealed in the reactions of Trump supporters. A comment so far out of bounds should never be tolerated in our society, and would have never been tolerated before a certain black man was elected President. Yet, Republican office holders such as Paul Ryan make the same excuses for Trump and continue their “support.” To be sure, Republicans with a moral compass are denouncing Trump, but for the most part there is a shocking lack of reaction. Even the man who mouthed “wow” at the rally did an interview the next day and announced that he was still going to vote for Trump! He didn’t appear to be mentally ill or intellectually challenged. He seemed like the prototypical “man next door,” if that man were out of touch with reality.

Considering the possibility that there is a significant part of our society that supports such a man for the Presidency then it is long past the time to announce “Danger! Danger fellow Americans!”