A writing date, that is. I am substantially behind, which means in a couple of hours, after our guest leaves, I’m going to have to write like a fiend to get columns done. I usually plan better than this. Derp. Plus, a bonus, Chrome is giving me fits tonight. Let’s start with some craziness, performed by the one and only, you guessed it, Trump. Thank you, Raw Story:
President Donald Trump’s latest “red line” threat to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday drew fresh outrage from political analysts and observers. Trump wrote on Truth Social that the U.S. was not aware of Israel’s recent bombing strikes against the South Pars gas field, which is Iran’s largest energy source. Multiple reports indicate that the U.S. and its ally in the region, Qatar, were aware of the plan and approved it ahead of time. Nevertheless, Trump told the Israelis that there will be “no more attacks” in Iran without his approval.
Excuse me? Israel may be our ally, but we can’t, Trump can’t, dictate what they will or will not do. That’s their choice to make. Now, going against that gas field was a mistake. It’s going to, if it hasn’t already, make Iran mad. We are already seeing how they are fighting back, which no one expected, and should have. They’re not going to stand idly by, wringing their hands and boo-hoo-ing. Oh, hell no! They’re going to do their damndest to protect their country, just as we would, or Israel would, or just about anyone would. We know damn well that Dumbass Donnie and Petey Boy don’t know a damn thing about handling a war.
“NO MORE ATTACKS WILL BE MADE BY ISRAEL pertaining to this extremely important and valuable South Pars Field unless Iran unwisely decides to attack a very innocent, in this case, Qatar – In which instance the United States of America, with or without the help or consent of Israel, will massively blow up the entirety of the South Pars Gas Field at an amount of strength and power that Iran has never seen or witnessed before,” Trump’s post reads in part.
This goes right back to what I said above. Going after that gas field is a Very Bad Idea. For one thing, it’s going to affect civilians, and that makes me angry. For another, it will make Iran extremely angry, and there’s no way to predict what they might do next, but we can be assured it will be bigger and better than anything seen thus far. We have to know that there are sleeper cells over here. The problem with that is there are plenty of Muslim people here who have *nothing* to do with that sort of thing, and they’re going to get hurt as in the “guilt by association” nonsense.
Political analysts and observers shared their reactions on social media. //// “Would be hard to draft a more comprehensively deranged and appallingly dystopian presidential communiqué,” Philip Gourevich, a staff writer at The New Yorker, posted on Bluesky. //// “This is a sign of being utterly terrified of the recession-level impacts Iran can bring to bear,” podcaster Amar Kazzmi posted on X.
“One has to wonder whether he’s posting this because the Qataris are furious,” journalist Yashar Ali posted on X. //// “How long before Trump blames the entire war on Israel?” journalist David Corn posted on Bluesky. //// “Contrary to what Trump says below, there is a lot of reporting in Israel & the U.S. that Trump approved the Israeli attack on the Pars oil field,” Washington Post columnist Max Boot posted on Bluesky. “But when Iran struck back, Trump refused to take responsibility.”
Of course not! If something bad happens, he blames everyone else. If something good happens, he crows about it for days on end. He blusters, bloviates, and tries to misdirect. Well, folks aren’t being taken in by his lies anymore. It’s so blatantly obvious that they are lies. It used to require multiple fact checks. It doesn’t anymore. He is well known enough by this point that we can tell without fact-checking, though we do it anyway. We still have years of him left. Good gods.
See you soon!
Friends, I know everyone begs you for money. I promise that among all those asking for spare change, we are the smallest and the hardest-working. We’re a group of old, disabled people, except for one writer in his mid-50s. The rest of us are in our sixties and seventies, and this is a labor of love. All we’re asking for is the chance to keep telling the truth about Trump and help ensure democracy survives. If you can help, please do. Thank you. Ursula
The headline gave me a flashback to the mid 1970s. The country was in the throes of ‘Vietnam Syndrome’ and a lot of National Guard/Reserve Units were having trouble getting people to sign up. During Vietnam a slot in the Guard was a guarantee a guy wouldn’t wind up going to war. All that changed when Bush 41 ordered that Guard/Reserve units would be used in the first Gulf War.
Anyway back in the day the Guard responded mostly in their local areas. For natural disasters of course. But also in a lot of places including where I grew up (six miles from a major university) to help with riot control. You often had Guard members facing off against folks they knew! Between that and the shift to having to complete basic training like any other trooper it was tough. So they created an ad campaign and it had a song that repeated the lyrics (you guessed it!) “You’re Late, You’re Late – For A Very Important Date” featuring a guy being reminded it was time for his monthly weekend of service, and ending with him in uniform running off to report singing the same ditty, with the word “You’re” replace by “I’m” and now I can’t get that ear wash out of my head!
I was actually all set to join a Marine Reserve unit at Anacostia a couple of years after leaving active duty. My ex really wanted PX and Commissary privileges and she knew I had had issues with leaving active duty. I was also trying to get a new job and had one lined up but it was funded by a federal grant and there was a delay with the person I’d be answering to meeting me to sign off on it. Technically it was (and remains) illegal for employers even in the private sector to discriminate against those serving in the Reserves but the reality was they usually did. The IWLA however thought it was great I wanted to do so, and frankly it would have played well with the membership in the (at that moment) unlikely event I got called up for active duty.
However, the top NCO at my prospective unit told me to wait until I had a formal offer of employment letter in hand. He’d seen too many guys get screwed and would present me to the C.O. to raise my right hand and be sworn in until then. During that month of delays my ex asked me about the possibility of me being sent to the Gulf. She was only two years younger than me and I reminded her how during all of Vietnam they made a point of NOT activating Guard/Reserve units for the war. The only ones who went volunteered and they were mostly pilots. Both those who flew transports wanting the extra flight pay which they could do while remaining Reservists instead of being on active duty, AND fighter jocks who wanted to go on active duty. Dreams of glory of engaging MIGs and so on. (Not Baby Bush of course – no way in hell was HE about to volunteer!)
Anyway we were both happy. I could keep up Marine Service and with sixteen years in the Marine Reserve qualify for full retirment benefits. She could use base facilities. Then Poppy Bush announced he would be calling up Guard/Reserve units for Desert Storm. She FORBADE me from heading over to Anacostia to take the oath. I was forced (again) to choose between my marriage and the Corps and again chose wrong – I wound up divorced anyway. However as it turns out she was prescient that summer because the unit I would have been part of deployed to Dahrain that October! Oh well.
is he really stupid enough to think that all the superlatives impress anyone? do they impress even the magats?