One of my favorite record albums is The White Album by the Beatles. It was also that of mass murderer Charles Manson’s. For him, though, one song was of particular interest, Helter Skelter. When Manson was asked its meaning, “confusion” was the simple reply, a response based upon a desire to sow havoc that would eventually lead to race war(s) and global conflict.

Helter Skelter became, in 1969, the generally understood motive for Manson and his “family’s” killing spree in Southern California, a spree that would result in the brutal deaths of between 35-40 individuals, including the actress Sharon Tate and her unborn child. Manson sought to create enough fear from the murders so as to eventually evoke the aforementioned purposeful and unprovoked killings. Manson was the definition of evil.

Commentators at the time, and still today, when trying to identify relatively recent individuals who share Manson’s taste for violence and evil, usually cite Adolf Hitler as the most appropriate example. Both men were hypnotic in their respective capacities to lead, and had few, if any, inhibitions when it came to promoting murder and mass slaughter. Manson certainly never had Hitler’s wide-ranging opportunities to successfully order the killing of millions. But, anyone doubting Manson’s willingness to do so, makes a dangerous mistake.

Is there another person (or persons), presently operating in the public arena with the malevolence and ability to to advocate (and perhaps act), in a similar manner to Germany’s former leader and California’s mass killer? I believe so.

If you follow the growing body of literature on the subject of Donald Trump, it becomes evident that he possesses an evil personality. Worse, he was (and could be again), in a position of authority that could inflict his malevolent designs on all of us.

Recently, it was revealed that General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, believed that President Donald Trump was so dangerous it required his alerting the Chinese government that the United States was not intending to attack their country. Yes, tensions had increased, but no military response was in the planning. Milley, though, had been working with Trump for years and knew he could not take any chances given the nuclear environment we were in, with millions of lives at stake and an unstable President at the helm.

Although the incident described above may be an extreme example of Trumpian potentiality, his entire life has been filled with malevolent attitudes and actions: misogyny, racism, fraud, and violent threats being only a few of the most obvious. Reputable psychiatrists and therapists describe the ex-president as militantly narcissistic, paranoid, psychotic, etc. No-one, viewing him fairly, should doubt the implications of this kind of behavior. What are we gong to do about it? Hopefully, at the minimum, not re-elect him.

The protective barriers that help to maintain American democracy have been shattered by Trump. With Hitler, although he was voted into office legally, his ability to persuade the electorate of his righteousness and the need for horrific acts on behalf of Germany, are exactly the kinds of problems we may face from an unchecked Trump. If, for example, Muslims and Hispanics now become the “new Jews,” (i.e. the “enemies”), we are in severe trouble.

In the end, it is up to us to strengthen those political, social, and economic institutions that protect the country. The alternative, wherein Trump and his band of evil-doers topple the safety-barriers, would probably foretell the end of American democracy. Think about it!