This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
While Republicans have long considered her husband to be a son of a witch or worse, it was no surprise to learn from their nightly variety show this week that Hilary Clinton is Satan's chief handmaiden. Apparently an expert in things occult, a real doctor, Ben Carson, declared her as such, so it must be true, right? He is one of Donald Trump's brightest proxies after all. (Why does Trump keep a brain surgeon at hand? Could it be ... ? Never mind.)
What other conclusion could Carson draw in this new age of post-enlightenment? During the recent congressional revival of the Salem witch trials, every time they tried to dunk her, Clinton kept bobbing to the surface, not even gasping for breath. They might have tried a wooden stake through the heart, but it's messy and might offend sensitive viewers, if any.
This nightly exploration of the uncharted recesses of the mind of Trump is a thrill ride in which down is up, or maybe sideways.
A mixture of autocracy and theocracy is democracy, and regression is progress. If we feel befuddled, think of the Utah delegation as they make their pretzel-like rationalizations to join a space expedition that may never be in touch with Mission Control. Oy vey.
Rodney Johnson
Farmington