Special to L. Neil Smith’s The Libertarian Enterprise

Does Mr. Trump really have serious psychiatric problems as increasing numbers of shrinks are suggesting?

Since in their DSM- 5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental disorders), the Mental Health Guild has classified just about every possible combination of human emotion and behavior as a psychiatric disorder, they can certainly find Mr. Trump—along with the rest of us—has conditions they would gladly treat but not necessarily cure. For a nice fee, of course.

They suggest he’s grandiose, antisocial, narcissistic, and paranoid etc. And, since an Australian study found that 1 in 5 CEOs are psychopaths, we can probably add that and/or "sociopath" to the list.

And they say he’s deceitful and tells lies, so far, at least 129 of ’em. And counting. Well, DUH! That IS how politicians get elected after all. And most of the folks who manage to get a shot at the position are quite accomplished at it.

Bill Clinton was notable, and his wife is no slouch. Obama was quite slick at it and Dubya & Company told 935 thoroughly documented whoppers to get "us" to attack, kill, maim, and displace hundreds-of-thousands of innocent Iraqi men, women and children. Etc.

So, since as POTUS (PresideNT Of The United States), Mr. Trump will almost certainly be responsible for killing, etc. large numbers of innocent folks, being a bit of a sociopath—maybe even a psychopath—will help. And to feel better about it—and possibly avoid PTSD—he can follow previous PresideNTS and call most of those innocent victims "collateral damage" instead of "murder victims."

The bottom line is that to serve as presideNT, sociopathy etc. has become helpful and lying is necessary. As Historian Zinn put it, "If governments told the truth, they wouldn’t last very long."

So while these folks may correctly diagnose those characteristics in Mr. Trump, they should be careful in considering them a handicap. They’re just part of a skill-set that is an essential—and now traditional—requirement for the job.

But nuts or not, does it really matter? We already know that apparently a presideNT with early Alzheimer’s isn’t a problem. And Jimmy Carter thought he was being chased by an amphibious rabbit.

Besides, executive power is way over-rated. Noting Sen. John McCain’s failed six-year attempt to pass a health bill etc.—and citing his own experience—Arnold "The Governator" Schwarzenegger admitted in a whopping understatement, "…it just doesn’t go as fast in politics as it goes in the private sector."

And Bill Maher really nailed it——

Likewise, despite Mr. Trump’s grandiose delusion that his Administration is running like "a fine-tuned machine," The Donald has yet to learn that his machine isn’t the one that’s running things in D.C.. Other than being mostly flashy hood-ornaments, Mr. Trump and Co.—well, as Bill Clinton discovered,

"…by the time you become the leader of a country, someone else makes all the decisions. You may find you can get away with virtual presidents, virtual prime ministers, virtual everything."
—Bill Clinton, 1998, Monopoly Men

So it’s not really Mr. Trump and Co. we need to worry about, it’s the pre-existing perpetual virtual machine, often called "The Deep State," which "makes all the decisions." That’s what we need to worry about.

And try to fix. Or get rid of and/or away from. If not for you, then for the kids, grand kids and the yet unborn. What are you going to do about it?

So, directly from Edward Snowden and The Intercept to your device—— Attention Employees: If You See Something, Leak Something.

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L. Reichard White [send him mail] taught physics, designed and built a house, ran for Nevada State Senate, served two terms on the Libertarian National Committee, managed a theater company, etc. For the next few decades, he supported his writing habit by beating casinos at their own games. His hobby, though, is explaining things he wishes someone had explained to him. You can find a few of his other explanations listed here.