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During the administration of G.W. Bush the columnist and for practicing mental health provider Charles Krauthammer deployed in one of his columns that he had discovered a new disorder ‘Bush Derangement Syndrome.’ This semi-satirical comment was quickly picked up by allies of the administration and hurled at every criticism of G.W. Bush. All the critiques held no merit because all the critics were ‘deranged.’ Like becomes so much easier when you can dismiss all who criticize you with a blanket and undefined mental illness.

When the administration ended such a valuable rhetorical tool could not be abandoned and so now those who stand in opposition to Trump have Trump Derangement System, and those who have issues with Musk have Musk Derangement Syndrome. It is truly the hammer that the right employs against every single person that doesn’t agree with them and thus becomes nails to struck.

The irony of this is that in that original column Krauthammer invented this imaginary in response to a leading Democrat, Howard Dean, leaving open the possibility of Bush having been forewarned of the 9-11 attacks. Krauthammer invented ‘derangement syndrome’ because of a prominent political operative engaging in a hair-brained conspiracy theory and now that slur is used for people who refuse to accept hair-brained conspiracy theories.

If standing opposed to someone who tried to overthrow a free and fair election makes me ‘deranged’, so be it.

If standing opposed to someone who knew that the coming pandemic represented a serious and lethal threat to the nation but then lied to the people as to the danger makes me deranged, so be it.

If standing opposed to someone who used vital military aid for a free country under threat of invasion for his own political gain makes me deranged, so be it.

If standing for the science of vaccines and the immeasurable good that they have produced against a man who would appoint idiots to manage our public health makes me deranged, so be it.