A sad and sobering happening when I woke up this morning. Is THIS not enough to impeach? Sadly, now that we're into it, it seems difficult to pursue impeachment or even a rebuke. How can one man simply do what he wishes, and we are swept along in his wake? Shaking my head.
The answer is, if the Republicans control the house and senate, a Republican president can do anything he likes, and cannot be impeached. Fixing the broken American system of governance should be first priority.
'Who let the dogs out?' is a variation of 'Cry havoc and release the dogs of war' from Shakespeare.
The US is exceptional in the way it manufactures imbroglios in the Middle East. Trump is wagging the dog vigorously with Iran, hoping people forget about Epstein, and to drum up electoral support in November.
The Churchill quote is apt for this moment when we are again ignoring the lessons of the past about war. And then there are the innocents who will die: in this moment a group of Iranian schoolgirls among the first. Clearly, neither Netanyahoo nor trumpy care about that.
As always, you express the heart of the issue with rational analysis and honest sensitivity. I believe that is “good character”. Yours are the only blog messages that I keep to re-read often or share with friends.
I opened this just as I was about to shut down for the day — perhaps I should have logged off instead. He essentially admitted yesterday that he was not amused by the direction of the discussion, and after a brutal week dominated by Epstein headlines, that’s hardly surprising.
One suspects he now realises he never should have pushed so aggressively to grill the Clintons. A remarkable lack of foresight. In any case, a distraction was clearly needed — and once again, we all get pulled back into the same familiar misery.
Winston Churchill wrote "My Early Life" in 1930, decades before the commercial international arms trade became established. At that time, wars were still about "honor and fatherland," about exercising power and gaining territory that was worthwhile, and only very rarely about eliminating terrorist regimes.
Today, war is purely commercial.
Arms trade, the struggle for raw materials or oil, the expansion of territories, the extension of positions of power — these are the causes and the contents of wars today.
War as a distraction from personal transgressions, as in the case of the Usamerican dictator, is new, but no less abhorrent.
Trump's political and possibly even personal survival depends on whether he can distract the people of the US from his total political, economic, and human failure, but above all from the Epstein Files.
I don't think he can.
It's too late, he will fail. No one believes his lies anymore. And I wouldn't be surprised if there were further attacks on him from his deeply disappointed and enraged former supporters.
I think the worst part was when Trump said that this armada had amassed off Iran and it just could not steam away without doing something. Maybe the military
should not be under civilian control if the civilian control is incompetent. Robert Hubbell says that the American people will be horrified when the true number or a close approximation of civilian casualties is revealed, not only in Iran. I saw something about casualties in Jordan. An Iranian missile gone astray ! All last week I kept looking at the NYTimes on my phone first thing to see if he had moved against Iran. Today was the day and Hubbell said that it was ironic since Iran had agreed to a better deal on nuclear matters than Obama was able to wrest from them. Trump had actually “won” something and he threw it away.
But but he's the peace president deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize. I've heard him say it multiple times as well as from men, big strong men with tears in their eyes, saying he's such a peace president. /S
Well he is a piece of garbage that's for sure. (Was going to use another word instead of "garbage" but I don't think substack would allow it.) But obviously he and his fascist backers have seen the movie Wag the Dog. But don't think it will make anyone not in his cult forget Epstein.
Like raping children followed by murder, or like murder followed by cannibalism? I've broke my head trying to understand which perverse pleasure some peope find in killing. It might be the missing link to the Epstein Files.
The Leaders of old led their troops into battle. Facing the volleys of arrows and the sharp edges of swords, they took the same risks their soldiers faced and accepted. If there is justice, a day of accounting will arrive and all who have supported him will be judged. Let’s remember who they are!
Last night Turner Classic Movies aired the 1961 ‘Judgment at Nuremberg’ film. I think it was the first time I’ve actually watched the whole picture all the way through as it is 2 3/4 hours long. That film shows some of the military film he US took when they opened the death camps. You want to talk about the cost of war? And who will pay for being the one who started it? One of the most gutwrenching things about that picture is the very last frame. The picture is made in 1961. The trials were held between 1945 and a 1949. By the time the picture aired in 1961 no one who had been convicted was still in jail the only people who actually paid for those who were executed.
Elliot, thank you, well said. Regardless of whether this is an appropriate action to take against a regime such as Iran, it was not done in accordance with US or International law. And it was undoubtedly done (as with all things Trump) without a clear understanding of the implications; nor a plan that reflects an understanding of the history of regime change. Clearly, one of the motives was to create more distraction from Trump's domestic debacle and Epstein albatross. Furthermore, as anyone who has studied or participated in combat will say, a plan is only good up to the moment of first contact with the enemy. He has NO idea what comes next.
Dalai Lama once said of war: "War is neither glamorous nor attractive. It is monstrous. Its very nature is one of tragedy and suffering. War is like a fire in the human community, one whose fuel is living beings." Once again another meaningful commentary, Elliot, on our current state of affairs. Once again, a deflection tactic by our would be king. I was married to an Iranian for 10 yrs. and he and much of the country believed Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was going to be a savior who would bring democracy and unite the country. Instead they got an absolute theocratic regime that ruined a beautiful country on many levels. His successor was no better and is now supposedly dead by White House and Israeli accounts leaving the country even more unstable. Theocratic systems often employ harsh measures to suppress dissenting voices and alternative viewpoints. Critics may face imprisonment, persecution, or even execution, creating an environment of fear and conformity. Doesn't our current system under Trump sound, although not a theocracy, sound a bit familiar?
If Trump had stopped at increased border security and did nothing else, his ratings probably would still be above water. Now he has to become the war president in order to shore up his ratings and distract from Epstein. He's Bored of Peace, indeed. Will his supporters who liked his stated avoidance of foreign entanglements still stick with him now? Probably.
I think one significant motive for this “war” is that the mainstream media, and even some middle of the road media, were so critical of Trump’s performance at the SOTU speech. By unilaterally and illegally starting this war, he is desperately trying to prove how strong, powerful, and capable he is. Why aren’t there more people of conscience in the House and Senate who would finally vote to impeach Trump and / or remove him from office under the 25th Amendment? Why won’t they do the right thing?
A sad and sobering happening when I woke up this morning. Is THIS not enough to impeach? Sadly, now that we're into it, it seems difficult to pursue impeachment or even a rebuke. How can one man simply do what he wishes, and we are swept along in his wake? Shaking my head.
The answer is, if the Republicans control the house and senate, a Republican president can do anything he likes, and cannot be impeached. Fixing the broken American system of governance should be first priority.
'Who let the dogs out?' is a variation of 'Cry havoc and release the dogs of war' from Shakespeare.
The US is exceptional in the way it manufactures imbroglios in the Middle East. Trump is wagging the dog vigorously with Iran, hoping people forget about Epstein, and to drum up electoral support in November.
The Churchill quote is apt for this moment when we are again ignoring the lessons of the past about war. And then there are the innocents who will die: in this moment a group of Iranian schoolgirls among the first. Clearly, neither Netanyahoo nor trumpy care about that.
As always, you express the heart of the issue with rational analysis and honest sensitivity. I believe that is “good character”. Yours are the only blog messages that I keep to re-read often or share with friends.
Thank you, Rica, for the kind words.
I opened this just as I was about to shut down for the day — perhaps I should have logged off instead. He essentially admitted yesterday that he was not amused by the direction of the discussion, and after a brutal week dominated by Epstein headlines, that’s hardly surprising.
One suspects he now realises he never should have pushed so aggressively to grill the Clintons. A remarkable lack of foresight. In any case, a distraction was clearly needed — and once again, we all get pulled back into the same familiar misery.
Winston Churchill wrote "My Early Life" in 1930, decades before the commercial international arms trade became established. At that time, wars were still about "honor and fatherland," about exercising power and gaining territory that was worthwhile, and only very rarely about eliminating terrorist regimes.
Today, war is purely commercial.
Arms trade, the struggle for raw materials or oil, the expansion of territories, the extension of positions of power — these are the causes and the contents of wars today.
War as a distraction from personal transgressions, as in the case of the Usamerican dictator, is new, but no less abhorrent.
Trump's political and possibly even personal survival depends on whether he can distract the people of the US from his total political, economic, and human failure, but above all from the Epstein Files.
I don't think he can.
It's too late, he will fail. No one believes his lies anymore. And I wouldn't be surprised if there were further attacks on him from his deeply disappointed and enraged former supporters.
Let’s not forget about OIL!! The number one cause of conflict in the Middle East.
I think the worst part was when Trump said that this armada had amassed off Iran and it just could not steam away without doing something. Maybe the military
should not be under civilian control if the civilian control is incompetent. Robert Hubbell says that the American people will be horrified when the true number or a close approximation of civilian casualties is revealed, not only in Iran. I saw something about casualties in Jordan. An Iranian missile gone astray ! All last week I kept looking at the NYTimes on my phone first thing to see if he had moved against Iran. Today was the day and Hubbell said that it was ironic since Iran had agreed to a better deal on nuclear matters than Obama was able to wrest from them. Trump had actually “won” something and he threw it away.
This is about deflecting from the failures of his administration as well as his being in the Epstein files, many many many times!
But but he's the peace president deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize. I've heard him say it multiple times as well as from men, big strong men with tears in their eyes, saying he's such a peace president. /S
Well he is a piece of garbage that's for sure. (Was going to use another word instead of "garbage" but I don't think substack would allow it.) But obviously he and his fascist backers have seen the movie Wag the Dog. But don't think it will make anyone not in his cult forget Epstein.
Wag the dog moment. Think this is not only the satisfaction he gets from feeling strong but in a strange way it is also a sexual satisfaction.
Like raping children followed by murder, or like murder followed by cannibalism? I've broke my head trying to understand which perverse pleasure some peope find in killing. It might be the missing link to the Epstein Files.
The Leaders of old led their troops into battle. Facing the volleys of arrows and the sharp edges of swords, they took the same risks their soldiers faced and accepted. If there is justice, a day of accounting will arrive and all who have supported him will be judged. Let’s remember who they are!
Last night Turner Classic Movies aired the 1961 ‘Judgment at Nuremberg’ film. I think it was the first time I’ve actually watched the whole picture all the way through as it is 2 3/4 hours long. That film shows some of the military film he US took when they opened the death camps. You want to talk about the cost of war? And who will pay for being the one who started it? One of the most gutwrenching things about that picture is the very last frame. The picture is made in 1961. The trials were held between 1945 and a 1949. By the time the picture aired in 1961 no one who had been convicted was still in jail the only people who actually paid for those who were executed.
Elliot, thank you, well said. Regardless of whether this is an appropriate action to take against a regime such as Iran, it was not done in accordance with US or International law. And it was undoubtedly done (as with all things Trump) without a clear understanding of the implications; nor a plan that reflects an understanding of the history of regime change. Clearly, one of the motives was to create more distraction from Trump's domestic debacle and Epstein albatross. Furthermore, as anyone who has studied or participated in combat will say, a plan is only good up to the moment of first contact with the enemy. He has NO idea what comes next.
Dalai Lama once said of war: "War is neither glamorous nor attractive. It is monstrous. Its very nature is one of tragedy and suffering. War is like a fire in the human community, one whose fuel is living beings." Once again another meaningful commentary, Elliot, on our current state of affairs. Once again, a deflection tactic by our would be king. I was married to an Iranian for 10 yrs. and he and much of the country believed Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was going to be a savior who would bring democracy and unite the country. Instead they got an absolute theocratic regime that ruined a beautiful country on many levels. His successor was no better and is now supposedly dead by White House and Israeli accounts leaving the country even more unstable. Theocratic systems often employ harsh measures to suppress dissenting voices and alternative viewpoints. Critics may face imprisonment, persecution, or even execution, creating an environment of fear and conformity. Doesn't our current system under Trump sound, although not a theocracy, sound a bit familiar?
If Trump had stopped at increased border security and did nothing else, his ratings probably would still be above water. Now he has to become the war president in order to shore up his ratings and distract from Epstein. He's Bored of Peace, indeed. Will his supporters who liked his stated avoidance of foreign entanglements still stick with him now? Probably.
So sad and infuriating. Every word you said is true. It seems these people are hell-bent on destruction to their everlasting shame.
I think one significant motive for this “war” is that the mainstream media, and even some middle of the road media, were so critical of Trump’s performance at the SOTU speech. By unilaterally and illegally starting this war, he is desperately trying to prove how strong, powerful, and capable he is. Why aren’t there more people of conscience in the House and Senate who would finally vote to impeach Trump and / or remove him from office under the 25th Amendment? Why won’t they do the right thing?