The World Has Gone Mad

Six months ago, while negotiations were ongoing, the United States of America and Israel launched a sneak attack against Iran. In addition to killing some not-so-great people who were nonetheless not engaged in warfare against the USA, they destroyed a school and killed approximately 160 schoolgirls in addition to several adult staff.

I had misgivings regarding his election. As usual, his speech victory speech on November 6th, 2024, was a rambling string of empty promises and inflated egotistical bragging. We all should note that among it all, he restated his anti-war bona fides again just like on the campaign trail at about the 22 minute mark.

They said, "He will start a war." I'm not going to start a war. I'm going to stop wars.

Shortly after inauguration, he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded negotiations with Iran be reopened and demanded total dismantling of their nuclear program, whether for science or war. Then, in June, Israel and the US engaged in definitely-not-an-act-of-war strikes to demolish major Iranian nuclear sites. Trump proclaimed victory on Truth Social.

We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter.

After this, negotiations resumed and tensions fell slightly. Trump's loyal supporters mocked those of us who warned this strike was a moral and Constitutional problem. We were accused of crying wolf. We were told Trump knew what he was doing, and we should settle down. Well, six months ago, it all blew up. I wrote a post a few days after that.

Yet again, die-hard MAGA Republicans swiftly insisted I was blowing things out of proportion. They argued that since we killed their Supreme Leader, now they'll surrender and we'll have an easy win! Besides, it's not like Trump needs a declaration of war if we don't call it a war.

Soon, they had to admit it was basically a war, but we shouldn't worry, because it would be over in a matter of weeks, not months. Besides, if they ignore the plain wording in the 1973 War Powers Resolution, they can insist there is a magical 30-day window for the President to do whatever the hell he wants abroad. And then, if he declares an end to the hostilities, it works as a reset button to resume whenever he wants? That's not how it works, but it does explain why he claimed so many victories in a war that has not ended yet.

Through all of this, everyone in his inner circle has abandoned their stated principles of peace, adherence to the Constitution, and fiscal restraint. Well, all except one. Tulsi Gabbard betrayed us, but Joe Kent stood on principle. If I still believed in political solutions, a Massie/Kent (or Kent/Massie) ticket in the next election might bring some hope, but I've seen how real peace candidates are treated by the Republican machine too many times, and the Democrats are too obsessed with domestic social issues to remember to be truly anti-war again.

I don't have any solutions to this mess. The world has gone mad, and most people apparently want to follow a cult of personality instead of standing on principle. There are glimmers of hope, like bipartisan opposition to Flock and similar surveillance cameras being installed across the country. On the otehr hand, the Democrats are campaigning in "We are against the Republicans" as their main theme for the midterm elections coming up later, and those who are talking about anything else are trying to disatnce themselves a bit from the "Woke 1.0" social issues while insisting we need them to run a command economy for prosperity. Forget the chaos we suffered when they embraced COVID lockdowns and restrictions. They're not MAGA, so therefore they're the answer we need!

There is no hope in politics. We are facing ongoing and escalating challenges. Be prepared. Store food. Know how to filter water. Learn practical skills. I hope it doesn't get as bad as I expect, but if we hope in one hand, and shit on the other, which fills faster? Don't literally do that, please.