Mad King Donnie Disrupts The World

Posted: April 9, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

On Tuesday, Trump claimed that in accordance with an announced cease-fire with Iran that the Strait of Hormuz is open. On Thursday, officials from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) stated that “the Strait of Hormuz is not open. Access is being restricted, conditioned and controlled” by Iran. The map shows how Iran is rerouting shipping so that it can pass within the firing range of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards so that they can shake down the shippers for cash. From CNBC (AFP/Getty Images)

On one level, all of us should be thankful that Trump pulled his TACO routine (Trump Always Chickens Out) after posting on social media Tuesday morning, directed at Iran and its population of 93 million men, women and children that “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.” That is what scholars, pundits and most of the public call genocide. From the President of the United States. Speaking to the world in our name. The reaction from his fellow Republicans? Nothing. No accountability. No responsibility. No consequences. This is not okay. This is beyond shameful and is sufficient cause for getting rid of the whole lot of them. Our Constitution is soiled and our system of government is broken. Clearly the president is deranged. It is no longer a slogan or an exaggeration or any other mitigating definition. He is just plain crazy and he controls nuclear weapons. Two things are clear from his statement. First and foremost he has no moral compass, code of ethics or empathy for any human besides himself. Second, he clearly thinks he can do whatever he wants without restraint from anybody or any organization. If he wants it, he will order it, and expect it to be carried out. This should scare all of us right to our core. Thank goodness he chickened out. But let’s look deeper.

One hour before his stated deadline for Iran to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz, Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif offered up a fig leaf to provide an exit ramp from doomsday. Both Trump and Iran accepted a two week ceasefire to allow diplomatic efforts to continue towards a more lasting settlement. In doing so, Trump said that the Iranian ten point plan for a negotiated settlement was a “workable basis on which to negotiate.” Iran took that literally, always dangerous when dealing with Trump. It appears that Trump probably did not know what was in the Iranian proposal. Here are the points in the plan:

  1. Cessation of the war on Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen.
  2. Cessation of the war in Iran with no time limit.
  3. Ending all conflicts in the region.
  4. Reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
  5. Establishing a protocol and conditions to ensure freedom and security of navigation in the Strait.
  6. Full payment of war reparations to Iran.
  7. Lifting sanctions on Iran.
  8. Release of the Iranian frozen assets held by the United States.
  9. Iran commits to not seeking possession of any nuclear weapons.
  10. Immediate ceasefire on all fronts upon the ceasefire announcement.

Looks a lot like Iran got nearly everything that they wanted. After scathing criticism stating that fact, Trump retreated. Now the administration is claiming that this is not the plan, instead there is a “secret” plan that they cannot reveal. If you believe that, you probably have a degree from Trump University.

For forty-seven years Iran has been the leading exporter of terrorism. There are no tears shed for the regime, its military or any of the other suppressors of the Iranian people. Iranians — Persians — have a long and storied history and culture. We will all rejoice when they rejoin the nations of the world as a stable, productive and welcomed member of society. This assault did not achieve that but it did make life worse for the average citizen of the country.

Israel, of course, is not honoring the ceasefire, whatever form it may be in. They continue to bomb Lebanon claiming that that war is different than the one on Iran. Iran refuses to fully open the the Strait until the Israelis stop their bombing. In short, it is a very confusing situation as I write. We do know, that for now, the United States has ceased attacking targets in Iran. That is about the only thing that is for sure. Oh, and Trump and his minions are claiming a “historic and overwhelming victory on the battlefield. A capital V military victory” as the former Fox News weekend host and current Secretary of Defense describes it.

The U.S. military did what they were asked to do. They significantly degraded the Iranian military in an overwhelming tactical win. But, strategically? Iran won big time. There is a famous conversation between adversaries in Viet Nam some years after the war. Harry Summers, an American colonel allegedly told a North Vietnamese counterpart, “You know, you never defeated us on the battlefield,” to which the Vietnamese colonel replied, “That may be so, but it is also irrelevant.” History is replete with examples of similar tactical losses leading to strategic victory. One can argue our most recent example was the U.S. involvement in Afghanistan.

Here is some of what Trump expected from Iran for our war of choice to cease and the assault on Iran to end. First, he called on the Iranian people to rise up and take control of their government. Then he simplified that to “regime change.” Then he called for “the complete and unconditional surrender” of the nation. Then it was to destroy Iranian stockpiles of enriched uranium. Then it was to prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon. Then it was to keep their proxies (Hezbollah and the Houthis) from participating in the war. Then I lost track, but they ended with opening the Strait of Hormuz — which I will gently remind everyone was open to free navigation prior to the war. None of these objectives were achieved. In fact, in some ways, Iran is in better shape now. They have an even more entrenched and radical regime in control of the country. Sanctions have been lifted so Iran is making lots of money with oil prices so high. Iran is charging tolls for the use of the Strait of Hormuz — more money to the regime to rearm and rebuild, especially as Russia has openly supported Iran and reports indicate that China has been helping them as well.

(Distracting Note: Were I conspiracy theorist, I might opine that the entire reason for Operation Epic Fury was to help Vladimir Putin and Russia. Sanctions against Russia are lifted, allowing for them to purchase more weapons for use against Ukraine. Weapons and ammunition destined for Ukraine was diverted to the U.S. attack on Iran. Russia supplied targeting information on U.S. forces to Iran. Trump has all but broken NATO. He viciously denigrates our closest allies and even said this week that “I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way.”)

The war claimed thirteen American lives, with close to four hundred wounded. The cost — to date — is roughly 40 billion dollars. We have depleted stocks of weapons and ammunition that will take years to replace, especially high cost missiles and aircraft. (We know the U.S. has lost four F-15E [fighters], 1 A-10 [ground attack], 1 E-3 [AWACS], 2 KC-135 [tankers], 2 C-130 [special operations configured transports], 17 MQ-9 [sophisticated drones], 1 MH-6 [specialized little helicopter] and there are rumors of additional helicopters lost.) Thousands of civilians killed in Iran, Lebanon, Israel and around the Persian Gulf. Oil prices soaring impacting the world’s economy. And more. For what?

Are we better off than we were six weeks ago? Strategically, Iran is. We look weak, chaotic, unhinged and untrustworthy as the world wonders where Trump will next declare “the end of civilization” is at hand. Trump is attempting to end this war in the same manner he ends everything. Create a crisis, claim to be fixing it, and then walk away when it gets too hard and pronounce that its not his problem, someone else will have to clean it up.

This is not the end of our nightmare. It is only the beginning.

A War Without Leaders, Only Zealots

Posted: April 5, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

One of the pictures released by the government of Iran showing the remains of U.S. aircraft destroyed on the ground during rescue operations to recover a second crewmember from a USAF F-15E shot down by Iranian forces on Friday. A massive operation successfully recovered the missing crew member but the recovery force had to destroy two specialized C-130 aircraft and at least two Black Hawk helicopters on the ground. Thankfully, all participants reportedly were recovered without casualties.

This morning we received the following Easter greeting from the President of the United States who believes, as do others in our country, that he was chosen by God to lead our country and who some Evangelical pastors compare to Jesus Christ. (I apologize for the language, but I see no reason to clean up Trump’s preferred presidential language.)

“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J TRUMP.”

This is not a joke or a hoax. These are the deranged postings of a sick man on his way to play golf at one of his courses in Northern Virginia. You know, the traditional way many Christians celebrate the holiest day of the liturgical year. It came on the heels of the previous day’s post.

“Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT. Time is running out — 48 hours before all Hell will reign (sic) down on them. Glory be to GOD! President DONALD J TRUMP”

If you ever thought that Iran might cave, those social media posts nearly guarantee that Iran will never give in and will work as hard as possible to make life hell for us, Israel and the Gulf states. Trump thinks he can bully anyone. To me, he sounds desperate. He is in over his head and does not know how to get out. Please note that the Iranians have yet to deploy one of their most deadly weapons — terrorist sleeper cells.

Oh, by the way, what he is threatening to do is, by the standards of international law, a war crime. But then he has been threatening Iran with promises to commit war crimes for quite some time now. His Secretary of Defense has also been promising that our troops will commit war crimes when he pledged at one of his “tough guy” press speeches on 15 March that there will be “no quarter, no mercy for our enemies.” Since our Civil War, our military has been taught that “no quarter” which means there will be no prisoners, everyone is to be massacred, is a war crime. It is also enshrined in the Hague and Geneva conventions. The U.S. Pentagon’s own war manual clearly states that it is a war crime. But then this is the same guy that vowed on 2 March that there would be “no stupid rules of engagement” and “no politically correct wars.” I do not know who is copying who with their blasphemous invocations of God and Jesus Christ, but at a recent prayer service in the Pentagon, Hegseth invoked both in his lust for killing. He is on record as saying that our troops need to continue dispensing death and violence in God’s name. It is a religious duty, according to his sick reasoning, in order to “save” western civilization, a belief he shares with many in Trump’s orbit. (Project 2025 anyone?) He actually pronounced a prayer that said in part, “let every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our nation” and produce “overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy.” In their own words, both Trump and Hegseth think that they are on some kind of Crusade against Islam. Shoot, Hegseth even has tattoos all over his body referencing the Crusades. To name a few, his arm has a tattoo reading “Deus Vult” which is Latin for “God will it” and is linked to the First Crusade as a battle cry. On his chest he has a large Jerusalem Cross, also a link to the Crusades and a popular symbol for today’s white Christian nationalists. Another tattoo on his arm is a cross with a sword referencing the New Testament verse Mathew 10:34 which reads “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword!” I have no problem with anyone’s private beliefs. I have a huge problem when our Secretary of Defense is trying to turn our military into an arm of his and Trump’s efforts to create a white Christian nationalist country of which they are in charge. An exaggeration? I think not when you look at the record. Hegseth has fired over twenty senior Admirals and Generals in order to put in place officers more “loyal” to Trump and Hegseth. Not to the Constitution. To them. Most recently it was the Chief of Staff of the Army. In the middle of a war. Rumor has it that he was fired because he argued against putting U.S. troops into Iran. Hegseth has tampered with the promotion process destroying an apolitical system based on merit and instead is promoting people ideologically and politically aligned with his beliefs. Most recently he pulled four officers off of the Army’s promotion list to Brigadier General (a one star rank) — something previously unheard of by a Secretary of Defense. Two of the officers were black and two were women.

Just as an aside, if one ever wanted to make sure that no one in the Middle East will give you the time of day, start talking about Crusades against Islam. It is the one thing that will unite Arabs and Persians.

I was out of the country for most of March which gave me a chance to reflect on events in our country and to look at things through the eyes of our (former) allies and friends. It scares me deeply. I have been of the opinion that we could recover from the rampaging MAGA crowd that are out to destroy everything that traditionally makes us Americans. Now I am not so sure. When I think about the fact that this guy is the person that the plurality of Americans wanted as their president despite all that he has done, I know that there are no limits to his depravity and willingness to do anything to stay in power. Trump is a convicted felon and an adjudicated sexual predator that is on tape saying that he can abuse women because “when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything…” This is the same guy that worked for months to overturn a free and fair election and when he failed, he unleashed a mob that attacked our seat of government and that was hell bent on killing the Vice President and the Speaker of the House. Why would anyone think that he would stop at anything, repeat, anything to get what he wants? Obviously I am not a physician, but anyone with half a brain can watch him speak and realize that he is ill — both physically and mentally. How desperate will he be to cement his legacy as the first autocrat to rule America and change our way of life? He is already busy slapping his name on anything around the District of Columbia that he can find and is planning to build monuments to himself all around the city. I am sure he knows more about the details of his proposed ballroom than he knows about the details of the war that he started. Meanwhile, his Cabinet, advisers and Republican (?) members of Congress let him do whatever pops into his sick mind.

Trump is only interested in his personal aggrandizement and wealth. Not in actually governing. Here are two examples of what he is doing with your tax dollars. The Department of State recently cut multiple programs to raise 1.2 billion dollars for Trump’s Board of Peace. All current members ante up one billion dollars each to join. Allegedly, the Board is formed to oversee the restoration of the Gaza Strip but let’s cut to the chase. The Chairman is Trump. For Life. Yes. The Chairman can override any vote of the rest of the Board. The Chairman controls the funds, exclusively. The Chairman decides who can or cannot be on the Board. Can you say slush fund?

Or how about this gambit? Trump is suing his Department of Justice for ten billion dollars. Ten billion of your tax dollars. He claims irreparable harm from the release of his tax returns by a contractor and from the lawful investigation into his theft of classified documents stored at Mar-a-Lago. Gee. Let’s think about who controls the Department. As Trump said, “But isn’t that a strange position to be in? I’ve gotta make a deal. I negotiate with myself.” He might as well. Our paper money is now going to be signed by him rather than the Treasurer of the United States. Another “historic” moment (it’s never happened in our history) and a sure sign of an entrenched autocrat.

Everything that is happening in the war with Iran was predictable. Indeed, even I predicted it in this space on 25 February before the war began. Trump and Hegseth either ignored the warnings from their experts or were bound and determined to attack regardless. Now the world is in a mess and no one trusts us at all. Not our friends, not our Allies, not our enemies. No one is likely to trust us for a generation, if then. One “Trump” can be explained away. Two “Trumps” and the rest of the world has to understand that another “Trump” could come along at any time. Our country asked for this and from the rest of the world’s view point, there is nothing to stop it from happening again. I will also point out, that we still have not heard Trump or anyone in his cabinet articulate the strategic objectives for our assault on Iran. Mostly they talk in tactical terms (all Hegseth knows how to do) and even then, they change everything based on which way the wind is blowing. There is a huge leadership void at the top of the government. Very dangerous.

Life is hard but it is harder when you’re stupid. Unfortunately, their stupidity is leading to the needless deaths of thousands of civilians. And now they are advocating for war crimes against civilians by attacking infrastructure that has no real military value. Our military men and women deserve better.