The King's Speech

On Tuesday, March 4th President Trump addressed a joint session of Congress.  I do not begrudge our President the opportunity to take a victory lap; particularly on the heels of six busy weeks of cabinet hearings, executive orders, reductions in force, court hearings, spending freezes, tariffs followed by pauses, starts and follow-up pauses of the the latter.

The speech was exceedingly long however; meaning the volume of dubious claims or lies was target-rich.  Nothing new under the sun; nevertheless, worthy of truthful daylight.  Consequently, from time to time one of more of the King's gems will be featured here.

Enjoy. 

“But it was built at tremendous cost of American blood and treasure. Thirty-eight thousand workers died building the Panama Canal. They died of malaria. They died of snakebites and mosquitoes.”

The President is ignorant of history.  An earlier failed attempt by France to construct a canal resulted in 22,000 deaths, mainly a consequence of yellow fever and malaria.  The American engineering enterprise resulted in 5,609 deaths (out of 56,000 workers); mainly a consequence of injury and disease.  Most were Black workers from the Caribbean; only 31 Americans perished.