Car bombing has been perfected in the Middle East.  A dissident faction that is powerless to take over a government legally by winning elections or militarily by war uses the car bomb to kill opponents, to create chaos, and to destroy the markets and social life of the society.  Yet, all the hundreds of car bomb attacks in the Middle East do not appear to have had the effect the bombers desire. The bombers have not won. The elected governments have not capitulated. America and its allies have not withdrawn.  Sunnis have not replaced Shiites. Explosions, suicide bombings, beheadings, assassinations, and other forms of violence continue apparently unabated. They have become a way of life.

Given that car bombings have not resulted in political, governmental, religious, or social change, we must conclude that bombing continues out of pure hatred, violence for its own sake.  The goal has become to inflict pain and suffering on another group of human beings perceived as different. Hatred is the motivating emotion, a mixture of rage and disgust. Hatred is the emotion of rejection of something conceived of as a contaminant.  Sunnis believe Shiites are a rejectable contaminant. Shiites feel the same way about Sunnis.

America has its own hate-fueled racism.  The nation was founded upon hatred of the indigenous people who were slaughtered for being different.  Next in succession came the African Americans. Now the focus is on Jews and Muslims. America experienced one recent bombing in Oklahoma City that was more politically motivated.  Still, hatred appears to have been a key element because as in the Middle East, America absorbed the death of 168 men, women, and children and went on about the business of business, which is the business of America.  

Bannon and Trump appear to be like the Afghan warlords, inflicting pain and misery solely out of hatred for people perceived as different than them.  Bannon and Trump are leading the Republicans and exploding metaphorical car bombs in the midst of American society. The objective appears to be to create as much chaos and to inflict as much pain and suffering as possible.  Every single act of the Trump regime has had the objective of hurting American citizens for the sole apparent purpose that they are poor or middle class. Or that they are African American, Hispanic, working class, or women, or children.  The deportations ordered by Trump and Bannon are destroying immigrant families. Repeal of the Affordable Care Act will harm children and families of the less advantaged. Defunding Planned Parenthood and closing women’s health clinics appears to be motivated solely by a desire to harm women and children.  Destroying the EPA attacks the defenseless environment. Big Coal and Big Energy have been invited to frack and pollute and dump at will. Hatred of clean water and clean air and uncontaminated soil motivates the attacks. Democracy itself is under attack. Through gerrymandering and dark money and a refusal of Congress to do its job democracy is exploding.  Pure hatred of the environment and every thing else they’ve attacked is what’s motivating their attacks.

Stephen Bannon and Donald Trump are driving a big truck filled with dynamite and fertilizer and fuel oil up to the gates of America.  They’ve parked and walked off to a safe distance and now they are exploding the car bomb and inflicting as much pain and suffering on America they possibly can.