Fascists took over a celebratory meeting at the University of Salamanca on 12 – X – 1936. A conspicuous presence among them was General Millán Astray, founder of the Spanish Foreign Legion. The General, with his supporters, was shouting the Spanish Legion’s motto: Viva la muerte! i.e., “Long live death!” He was vigorously rebuked by the meeting’s chair, Miguel de Unamuno, Rector of the University. Astray then shouted in reply “Death to intelligence!” (or, in other versions, “Death to traitor intellectuality!”), “Long live death!” 

Trump’s Department of Justice has been given the go-ahead to resume administration of the death penalty, and the Trumpists are salivating at the prospect of killing criminals. A series of executions is sure to boost Trump’s popularity with the barbarians in his base. As for intelligence, it, along with truth, has been under unrelenting attack since Trump’s nomination, an attack that has intensified lately in the Trumpist response to the pandemic, so “Death to intelligence! Death to truth!’

Is it, or is it not a coincidence that the while the Department of Justice is itching to kill criminals Trump is giving a pardon to Roger Stone, his friend and fellow criminal. I find it hard to believe that Trump was motivated solely by friendship. Trump doesn’t do friendship. I think Trump was motivated by a desire to show his dictatorial power, to undo the results of the Mueller investigation, and to ease his nervousness at seeing someone like himself go to prison just for lying. People for whom lying is their way of life are, of course, appalled at the injustice of punishing someone for lying under oath, so “Death to truth!”