“Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!”

Among the ten writers who contributed to the screenplay of The Wizard of Oz, Noel Langley is the most likely author of the famous line Frank Morgan, who played the Wizard, delivered when TOTO pulled back the green curtain to reveal an old charlatan frantically trying to manipulate the smoke and noise machine which created his fearsome image. Remind you of anything or anyone haunting our dreams today? And how about those flying monkey ICE agents? Remember Judy Garlands' remonstrance: "You’re a very bad man!” Langley had Morgan reply with genuine humility, "Oh, no my dear,  I'm just a very bad Wizard."

We're unlikely to hear such humility from our charlatan. TOTO raises a fundamental question for us: who are the folks behind the curtain? Who are these folks guiding, animating, managing the would-be wizard and his executive orders? What is their stake?

Do I believe Trump studies or even cares about issues like (today's NYT) who picks the art that appears in our overseas embassies? Does he know how the American artist representing us at the Venice Bienniel is selected? Does he care that that artist is an ex-pat who emigrated to Mexico years ago? Appointed by a luxury pet food dealer from Tampa? Who behind the curtain does?

Who behind the curtain has an interest in psychedelic drug deregulation and accelerated FDA clearance, particularly of Ibogaine, the leading psychedelic of interest? Ibogaine World, a Cameroon-based company whose corporate structure, finances, officers, and ownership are unknown is also the leading supplier of Ibogaine and will play a primary role in Trump-ordered accelerated FDA testing and clearance. Such exploration of psychedelics and mental health appears a promising avenue of research, but who behind the curtain is pushing it and why?

Is it likely that Trump really cares about professional baseball regulation and operation of the college football transfer portal? Judging from his Executive Order somebody behind the curtain does. What is their stake in this? 

A recent order deals with the definition of Made in America. Did he really concern himself in that or did someone behind the curtain manage that one? Those folks behind the curtain have discovered a powerful tool for effecting their agendas. Other March and April ExecOrders deal with elections, DEI, housing, fraud, FEMA oversight, sports, manufacturing, and consumer protection. Who initiated these? Who is behind these revisions to our economy, our social structure, how we raise and educate our kids? And what's in it for them -- ideological purity? Insider advantage? Reduced regulatory obstacles? Or just power for powers sake?

We'd better start paying attention to those folks behind the curtain before they restructure America to a new set of values and priorities through their control over the aging charlatan dozing in his gilded, oval office.