Frank Speidel: The Nero Awards
Delusion was once a remarkable exception. Now, it has not just become commonplace but a growth industry that permeates all aspects of society.
In June 2024, CNN televised the debate between Biden and Trump.
The debate produced the expected grandiosity, hyperbole, and lies. But that was not all.
The debate surprised: the real time presentation of a vetted candidate responding to a simple, interrogatory question with a disjointed, halting, rambling mélange of non sequiturs and cliches ending with “we finally beat Medicare.” We had a mental status exam broadcast to millions, where the patient/candidate repeatedly demonstrated the inability to process and respond to clear stimuli, with insight, judgment and appropriateness.
The debate terrified: the Beater of Medicare controls our nuclear arsenal.
The debate informed: most of the heritage media and political class remained mute and complicit about Biden’s incapacity. If you cannot finish a sentence, you cannot finish a term. Thinking there is no risk having a leader who is not competent is magical thinking — and magical thinking has consequences.
Bookending the gaslighting of the American public about presidential competence, we have the grinding tragedy of the Los Angeles firestorms.
The LA firestorms have killed 27 people, destroyed 12,000 structures and turned 24,000 acres to ash. Sadly, there is no measure of the enduring emotional trauma the survivors will carry.
And the magical thinking, reality is what we say it is not what you see, persists in elected and appointed officials responding to the inferno.
January 8, one day after the Palisades fire erupts, Janise Quinones, CEO and Chief Engineer of LA Water and Power, holds a press conference.
LA Times Reporter David Zahnhiser asks Ms. Quinones, direct unambiguous questions. How many hydrants are without water? When does the Mayor return? Quinones replies with a wandering word salad about elevations and addresses a never asked question on “climate resilience.” Regarding the anhydrous fire hydrants, Quinones makes no mention of the 117 million gallon LA County Santa Ynez reservoir, drained in February 2024 for repairs. Ms. Quinones is paid $750,000 per year for her insightful management.
Mayor Karen Bass, after returning from Ghana, lectured the public about believing “misinformation”. In February 2023, Mayor Bass had appointed Brian Williams deputy mayor for public safety, overseeing the LA police and Fire Departments among other emergency services. Unfortunately, Williams was placed on administrative leave in December 2024 as the FBI had raided his home in an investigation into a bomb threat against LA City Hall in 2024. Bass cut $17.6 million from the LA Fire Department budget for fiscal 2024-25.
In a similar eruption of fiscal responsibility, Governor Gavin Newsom cut $101 million for wildfire and forest resilience from California’s 2024-25 budget. Newsom will need that savings and more for the California Bullet Train, aka CAHSR, to offset the projected hundreds of billions cost.
Newsom strengthened his position in the competition for the Nero Award with a five fiddle performance. The Gov was recorded lying to a woman asking about help for her and her daughter. Newsom declared, “I literally am talking to the president right now. To specifically answer the question of what we can do for you and your daughter.” When the woman asked to listen in on the call, Newsom had to admit he had no cell service.
Obviously, the fire victim did not understand, reality is what we say it is, not what you see and hear, or in her case, don’t hear.
These fantasy fashionings of reality are not limited to California or state governments.
These fantasies extend into the federal government.
On January 12, 2025, on “Face The Nation” when asked “why the area was so unprepared?” FEMA Administrator Deanna Criswell reassured us, “I think that they were very prepared. This is something that they are very used to, they fight fires all the time.”
Given dry fire hydrants and reservoirs, Criswell’s “very prepared” assertion flunks reality testing. It is delusional to think California is not at high risk for massive forest fires. And preparation should be for massive forest fires in populated areas. It’s called reality.
The 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise California took 85 lives. Howling Santa Ana winds ought not to be a surprise, rather the expectation. Fuel loads on the forest floor being a sustainable plan is delusion.
Shakespeare reminded us, “Foolery, sir, does walk about the orb like the sun; it shines everywhere.”
The misery of California seems remote to Chester County. Not so. Delusional magic thinking is the new pandemic and it thrives in Chesco as well as LA.
Embracing delusion as an action plan even extends to our local community. The St. Agnes Roman Catholic Church in West Chester has been providing hot meals for those living on the margin for 32 years. No one is aware of any resulting foodborne illness, including a practicing gastroenterologist who provides meals there.
In the cause of significantly reducing the risk of food borne-illness, the Health Department will shut down a program never associated with an outbreak.
Magical thinking.
Frank Speidel, MD, is a retired emergency physician, US Navy Flight Surgeon and former hospital CEO. He was EMS Medical Director for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Chester County. He is currently producer and host for The Doctor Is In on MLTV21.
This is a dark area in the previous administration. Starting with the revelation that the Speaker of the House met with the Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to discuss how not to carry out any orders of the president that may be “dangerous.” aside from the blatant violation of the Chain of Command, it was remarkably coup-like against a still sitting president. (I don’t know why this was needed; soldiers have a duty to refuse unlawful orders.). There was no clear guidance as to what orders should be refused. Following on, we later find out that The Chair telephoned his counterpart in the Chinese army to let him know he would send a heads-up if the US was contemplating a military strike. apparently, the thinking was that advanced warning of a strike would lead no retaliatory moves, and peace would arrive on a bloodless battlefield. the truly scary part of the past for years is we don’t know whose finger was actually on the nuclear trigger, if it was President Biden’s alone, only God’s grace saved us. Talk about a shadow government. Think about it, a president who is removed from a candidacy for lack of capacity yet was fit to decide on nuclear war, or equally bad, some unknown operative manipulating him from behind the curtain.
Starting with the revelation that the Speaker of the House met with the Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to discuss how not to carry out any orders of the president that may be “dangerous.” – Since you were not in the room for this conversation please post a source so I can verify this.
“Following on, we later find out that The Chair telephoned his counterpart in the Chinese army to let him know he would send a heads-up if the US was contemplating a military strike.” Once again, please post a source for this claim.
P.S. Look for it yourself or Google it, only means you don’t have any facts.
Mariam Kahn of ABC News reported on January 8, 2021 Nancy Pelosi wrote to her Democratic colleagues “This morning, I spoke to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley to discuss available precautions for preventing an unstable president from initiating military hostilities or accessing the launch codes and ordering a nuclear strike,”
Jonathan Lemire And Robert Burns of AP reported on September 15, 2021 ” The top U.S. military officer on Wednesday defended the phone calls he made to his Chinese counterpart in the turbulent final months of Donald Trump’s presidency, saying the conversations were intended to convey “reassurance” to the Chinese military and were in line with his responsibilities as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.”
We have a right to declare our own reality, … reservoir s filled and hydrants with water. There are consequences though to magical thinking.
“Governor Gavin Newsom cut $101 million for wildfire and forest resilience from California’s 2024-25 budget. Newsom will need that savings and more for the California Bullet Train, aka CAHSR, to offset the projected hundreds of billions cost.” – Why is it that when a red state has a natural disaster it’s an act of God. But when it is a blue state it is incompetence.
“the Gov was recorded lying to a woman asking about help for her and her daughter. ” I watched the full clip he clearly stated he has tried to get through 5 times and there was very limited cell service.” So no he did not lie.
When massive, lethal natural disasters occur routinely over centuries/eons, such as forest fires in California, and reservoirs are left bone dry for 9 months and fire hydrants have no water, I think that evidences incompetence independent of party affiliation.
In the linked X Post by Jess Fields on Jan 9 2025 Newsom can be seen and heard at 11 seconds saying “I literally am talking to the President right now. To specifically answer the question of what we can do for you and your daughter.” This is followed at 25 seconds by Newsom acknowledging he can’t get cll service. Saying that you are “literally talking with the president right now….” and second later acknowledging you don’t have cell service is seen by some as lying. Had he said I’m trying to get through to the President and don’t have cell service, that would be truthful.
Reality for some is what we want it to be. For others it is what what we see, touch, smell and hear in the world beyond our brains.
“When massive, lethal natural disasters occur routinely over centuries/eons, such as forest fires in California, and reservoirs are left bone dry for 9 months and fire hydrants have no water,” – When you have multiple droughts in California and the current fire was spread by 50 miles an hour there is only so much you can do. To prevent this from happening again we need to destroy the Jewish space lasers and weather control machines.
The fire hydrants were dry because they were not designed to be used to fight large-scale fires.
“The water system that supplies neighborhoods simply doesn’t have the capacity to deliver such large volumes of water over several hours, said Martin Adams, former general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.”
“and second later acknowledging you don’t have cell service is seen by some as lying.” And he was not lying, you are splitting verbal hairs. This is nothing more than Monday morning quarterbacking of the Eagles.
If I use your logic the next time a hurricane devastates a red state, aid should be withheld because the Governor failed to require that all new homes and businesses be able to withstand 74mph winds.
“Reality for some is what we want it to be. For others it is what what we see, touch, smell and hear in the world beyond our brains.” Your brain is the reason you can process all of the senses, if you had a ver, very, large brain like Trump things would make more sense to you.
When natural disasters occur regularly such as the massive lethal forest fires have been occurring in California for ages, prudence argues for response planning and preparation. 100 million gallon reservoirs left bone dry through summer months are poor preparation for massive forest fires and bad outcomes will follow. To think otherwise is neither red nor blue, but delusion.
In the linked X post by Jess Fields on Jan 9 2025, one can see and hear Newsom at the 11 second mark declare ““I literally am talking to the President right now.” At the 22 second mark Newsom begins explaining he can’t get cell service. For most people “I am literally talking to the President right now” has a meaning completely different from I can’t getting cell service. Most of us rely on what we see and hear. Some of us see and hear what we want to see and hear. That is magical thinking. There are consequences to acting on magical thinking. look at California.
It’s the (lack of) thought process that you regularly use in your arguments on this site that are the exact reason Trump is large and in charge, and your party is in shambles. You now have a front seat to a reckoning taking place. “Why is it that when a red state has a natural disaster it’s an act of God. But when it is a blue state it is incompetence?” Why? Because it’s usually true. BTW – looks like Frank called your bluff and put you in short pants again.
“Why is it that when a red state has a natural disaster it’s an act of God. But when it is a blue state it is incompetence?” Why? Because it’s usually true.” – So by your logic we should withhold disaster aid from red states when they get hit by a hurricane. Because the governor did not require all new homes and businesses to withstand 74mph winds.
“You now have a front seat to a reckoning taking place.” – Let’s talk about that reckoning
Birthright Citizenship – Constitutional Amendments can only be overturned by 2/3rds of the states and Congress voting in favor to do so. Not by Executive Order and several judges have ruled to this effect and blocked the executive order.
DOGE – DOGE is not an official government agency, that has been approved by Congress. Musk is neither a neither civilian nor a government employee. So any policy Musk tries to put into effect is illegal.
Closing government agencies – This can only be done by Congress.
Trump’s cabinet – In Trump’s first term he 92% annual turnover in his cabinet. I’m expecting 100% this time.
The Palestinians – By announcing the yet-to-be-explained plan to forcibly relocate 2 million Palestinians he has just created 1 million terrorists who will come after Americans and especially American Jews. Even the Saudi’s had to issue a statement contrary to Trump’s claim that they had not agreed to this.
The Tariffs – Trump blinked.
Lowering the price of eggs – “Once prices go up it’s hard to get them down”.
No-that would be by your pretzel logic. Just the opposite. We’re talking about CA wild fires and water resources. The water resources and the brush maintenance are taxpayer funded / government responsibilities. Taxpayers don’t pay for house construction. They pay for local building inspectors. Everything else you rant about in your foamy mouth retort is part of the reckoning, and results of an election. They have consequences. I wouldn’t worry about the Palestinian terrorists, or Iranian or Lebanese either.. That’s what our friend Israel is there for. Think of them as our faithful and well-fed Pitbull, and they love to play fetch. As far as Trump’s cabinet picks: I’m confident that he has the people who will follow his agenda this time and if not: fire them. Tariffs: Mexico, Canada, Venezuela all caved. Even Panama booted the China agreement, plus our ships pass through for FREE. Keep barking at the moon, Judah. We’ll just keep on winning.
“I wouldn’t worry about the Palestinian terrorists, or Iranian or Lebanese either..” – On 9/11 they attacked America, not Israel. in 1993 a bomb was detonated in the parking garage of the Twin Towers, not Israel. The Houthis are hitting U.S. Navy ships with missiles.
“No-that would be by your pretzel logic. Just the opposite. We’re talking about CA wild fires and water resources.” I was talking about the California fires, including debunking claims about why fire hydrants were dry and the 50mph winds that spread the fire.
“Taxpayers don’t pay for house construction. They pay for local building inspectors.” – Building codes are set at the state level. Failure to set codes for houses to withstand hurricane-force winds is the fault of the governor and elected officials.
“Everything else you rant about in your foamy mouth retort is part of the reckoning, and results of an election.” – You mean like how Federal Judges are blocking Trump’s executive orders for violating the law and the Constitution. Let me know when the price of eggs goes down.
Judah, regarding listing all sources, i am not writing a doctoral dissertation and don’t have time to do so. I am responding to a posting with information that had been generally available in the public sphere for some time and which I think every educated, thinking person has seen and absorbed. If in your heart of hearts, you think a reference or statement is wrong, then I would expect your intellectual curiosity would motivate you to do your own research. Otherwise, the request for source is nothing more than an attempt at “gotcha.” Dr. Phil described this behaviour years ago as “right fighting.” BTW, I am comfortable enough in my own skin to use my real name in my posts.
You won’t provide sources because you don’t have any. Thus your fear of the “gotcha”.
For sources, I refer you to Mr. Speidel’s replies above. I do see from your response that you have entirely missed my points and, I assume, are unable to grasp their content. I do find this back and forth with you tiresome and unproductive, much on the level of a 3rd grade schoolyard, so I will move on to other subjects.
Thank you for admitting that you are wrong about assumptions that you made in the face of actual facts.
Your “facts” have no basis as fact. Your facts regarding CA lack of water are the opinion of a former ‘water chief’ just proves that the problem still exists. I read up on him: 40 years he worked for the department. His career highlights include “developing the Headworks Reservoir complex to replace Silverlake and Ivanhoe reservoirs, transformation of Owens Lake into a migratory bird sanctuary and leading efforts to establish green hydrogen as a key resource”. I guess keeping homes safe from their eternal threat of wildfire destruction wasn’t important. Get use to DOGE because you’re going to start seeing these departments on the state and local levels. Think of Musk as one of Obama’s “Czars” if it helps you cope with the reckoning. 53 Executive Orders and only 2 has been temporarily blocked? I’m confident that the citizenship birthright will make it to the SC and get overturned. The other one deals with transgendered men being housed in women’s prisons. I frankly don’t care about what happens behind prison walls. Yes – the next 8 years are going to be rough on you TDS types.
Obama’s Tsars were government employees who answered questions in Congress, worked for federal agencies, and had FBI background checks. DOGE is not a government agency, and Musk is not a Federal employee, which means every decision he makes is not a legal one.
“our “facts” have no basis as fact. Your facts regarding CA lack of water are the opinion of a former ‘water chief’ just proves that the problem still exists.” Fire hydrants are designed to fight house fires, not forest fires. That is a fact, not an opinion. The rest of the Executive orders are nothing burgers about DEI.
” 53 Executive Orders and only 2 has been temporarily blocked? ” – You mean the 14th Amendment, freezing Federal aid. The only way to overturn a Constitutional Amendment is by 2/3rds of the states and Congress doing so. It’s an actual law.
We’ll let the SC weigh in on the interpretation of the 14th Amendment first. How well did the fire hydrants, designed to fight house fires, work out? Miserably. What you don’t understand (or as I suspect – you DO understand, but won’t admit) is that CA knows what they need but don’t implement it. Grassy canyons with homeless encampments and poor electrical infrastructure will put entire neighborhoods in danger, but we need to hire radical black, lesbian leaders at outrageous salaries to implement DEI programs instead. Great plan. Oh – I missed commenting on your terrorist assessment; twin towers garage: Clinton’s gov.; Houthis hitting ships; Biden’s woke state dept. What was your point again? You should just quit while you’re behind.
What was your point again? You should just quit while you’re behind.
Kristen Crowley – Chief of the L.A. Fire Department – Crowley passed the firefighters’ exam in 1998, finishing in the top 50 out of more than 16,000 test takers. She joined the LAFD in 2000. During her time at the department, she has held the roles of firefighter, paramedic, engineer, fire inspector, captain, battalion chief, assistant chief, fire marshal, and deputy chief. Crowley became Los Angeles’ fire marshal in 2016.
9/11 – George Bush.
Usama bin Laden escapes Afghanistan – George Bush
Invasion of Iraq and non-existent weapons of mass destruction – George Bush
Negotiating with terrorist leadership of Al-Qaeda, releasing 5000 terrorists from prison, inviting terrorists to Camp David – Donald Trump
Mexico will pay for the wall, locking up, a healthcare plan better than Obama’s, Birtherism – Trump.
Bin Laden was hand delivered to Bill Clinton before 9/11 was even dreamed of. He declined to take him out. 5,000 warheads with chemical weapons were found in Iraq You’re playing pigeon chess again. Sounds a bit psychotic. Orange man bad. Orange man bad…
Before you take your victory lap you left out a few things.
When the U.S. invaded Iraq it was on based on the information from President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair that Iraq had an active biological, nuclear, and chemical weapons program, Iraq did not. We were led to believe this by Vice President Dick Cheney, when he cherry picked raw intelligence data. Because the U.S. intelligence agencies refused to agree with his personal beliefs. There were 5000 chemical warheads found in Iraq and they were secretly removed because they had been manufactured. They were secretly removed because they had not been manufactured during the time period Bush and Blair claimed there was a NBC program in Iraq.
As for the bad orange man, you and I both know who is really in charge, President Musk. Who knew the price tag for a U.S. President was $270 million. Especially when Trump is a blue light special.
Musk is working at the direction of Trump, and doing a great job. He knows his place. We known his place. You can’t handle it. Lefty politicians are panicking. They’re being exposed and hopefully Trump’s new justice department makes them pay. US knew Iraq and Syria had WOMD from witnessing them being used in the region. New, old, moved into Syria, yellow cake – I FRANKLY DON’T CARE. That whole region was dangerous to the world and deserved to get put in their place. Shamefully Obama, Kerry and Biden bent over to Iran, lifted sanctions, gave them cash, left billions worth of weaponry behind in their embarrassing withdrawal from A-stan, and then Biden checked his watch at the transfer of killed service members. How come you leftist complain when Musk backs Trump, but not when Zuck, Bezos, Soros and Hollywood back democrats? Hypocrites – all of you. Putting you in short pants isn’t a victory lap – just another walk in the park.
“US knew Iraq and Syria had WOMD from witnessing them being used in the region.” – No, Bush and Blair claimed that Iraq had an active weapons program. They did not. The world stood by and did nothing when both of these countries repeatedly used them on their own people.
“but not when Zuck, Bezos, Soros and Hollywood back democrats?” – Zuckerberg and Bezos have fallen in line with Trump. They are not give Hitler salutes and speaking at rallies for a German neo-Nazi party. Neither are they taking away protections for we the people like OSHA, the NLRB, or telling the Justice Department to not pursue Cvivl Rights violations, and excessive use of force by the police.
“hat whole region was dangerous to the world and deserved to get put in their place.” – Remind me again, whose idea was it to invade Afghanistan and Iraq without a modern day version of the Marshall Plan? Whose idea was it to negotiate with terrorists, release 5000 terrorists, and exclude the Afghan government? Whose idea was it to draw down the troops below the level recommended by the Joint Chiefs of Staff? The smartest man in America.
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You just acknowledged my point. Thank you. ME had WOMD. Another admission: Now that megadonors are leaving woke lefties, they’re bad. Thank you again. A’stan and Iraq – That was Bush/Rumsfeld idea. Karzai was a crook and worthless. Obama / Biden / Hillary continued the occupation. Not sure what you point is here. Somehow it’s Trump’s fault? He had a plan to get out safely and Biden/Harris blew it. Again – what’s your point? Who’s allowing Iran to make a nuke? It sure ain’t Trump. Who’s supporting Hamas against Israel? It sure isn’t Trump.