The way Trump has been increasing threats of total destruction on social media the more it appears that he’s actively considering dropping a nuke on Iran. It doesn’t matter that any of Iran’s neighbors are our allies. No, it matters that the pesky war- that’s illegal, that he and Hegseth started, that has turned into a huge failure on the part of the US, that the majority of the people of America hate- will be finished. It doesn’t matter that we will be the pariahs of the world, because Trump is the president and therefore Trump is America. The country is groaning under all his mistakes, with *everything* increasing, not decreasing. But they don’t see us except for No Kings; they see Trump.
How could so many people believe what he said, all those promises that were lies? Did they not remember his first term? Apparently not. The second has been exponentially worse, and we’re not even 2 years into it. The polls say he’s dropping down fast. So? What difference does a poll make? It shows poorly enough for Republicans that Trump stomps on, so there are apparently worries for some of them. But that’s all.
Now maybe Trump has noted he’s doing poorly in the polls, which has possibly, maybe, made him afraid of a Democratic Congress, even if it’s only the House. He’s trying everything and anything he can think of to cheat the voters out of choosing the people *they* want. Mullin has threatened to put ICE at voting locations, but only in the areas that tend blue. They won’t bother red areas. What does that say to us? Illegal? Possibly. It just keeps piling on.
But for Trump to say that a whole civilization will die tonight? That’s a damn strong indicator of the way he’s been feeling. Just because he hasn’t said anything lately doesn’t mean the idea has gone away. No, it’s hiding underground in Trump’s bunker, just waiting for the word to come out again. The midterms are coming. Dropping a nuke will not only make the pesky war with Iran go away, but it will also take attention off the midterms.
He has no clue about what would happen if he does. Would this be the one time the military would finally say no? Dare we even hope anymore? The boat strikes are ongoing. Iran was attacked without provocation and is therefore an illegal war. We haven’t heard anything from the International Court. It seems that Trump and Hegseth are going to get away with everything they’ve done. That’s infuriating. That’s a bad sign. And Trump wants to drop a nuke. Hegseth would love it. America would not.
Trump is simply a failed, failing and continuing to fail shit biscuit: he’s a walking disaster disguised as a functioning adult. He’s crispy on the outside but an absolute disaster on the inside. He’s loud and confidently wrong. Somehow he always gets involved in shit he had no business touching in the first place. Tick. Tick. Boom.
That is exactly what worries me.
First of all, tRump only has the power to START the process of deploying a nuclear warhead. According to CNBC, “The U.S. nuclear launch procedure from the president’s initial decision to a land-based missile launch involves an 8-step command and control process. The entire sequence can be completed in as little as 5 minutes.” That short time frame is terrifying…but AT LEAST eight other human beings have to be involved before the damned thing is airborne. Apparently tRump doesn’t know a nuke deployed anywhere in the world could create enough nuclear fallout to kill off most if not all of mankind. Surely seven of the eight people in the nuclear chain realize their family and friends and they themselves could die or become very ill. And anyway, tRump won’t consider that option until his beloved bunker is completed and stocked with Diet Coke and McDonald’s burgers and fries (hell, a whole McDonald’s STORE) so he and Natalie and a few of his Emotional Support Billionaires can stay safe for…what, exactly? Nothing will survive outside the bunker including his beloved golf courses. IF he lives long enough to emerge from said bunker, it may well be to a completely devastated landscape with no lackeys to do his bidding. Safe indeed. What a fool!
The process is streamline in case a President is responding to us having been attacked. If it’s just a U.S. President ordering to initiate an attack using one or more nukes then it’s more complicated. But with the right people in place (toadies/yes men) it could be done. In his first term there were people in the sequence who would have said no to being the first to use a nuke and it only takes one to stop the process. However as I noted an awful lot of house cleaning has taken place and it’s frightening to think that Trump might have, or might soon have enough people in the right positions that would if he said launch a nuke allow him to give the order. Oh, one or more of them might not think it should be done but one thing we know for sure is that there are precious few people in the second Trump administration willing to say ‘are you sure this is something we should do?’, much less say ‘NO, this is wrong and I won’t give my authorization.’
So it’s conceivable and that’s where it can get weird. There’s a lot of automation built into the system but unless I’m mistaken once there’s clearance and valid orders you still have the actual physical launching to accomplish. Whether in a missile silo or on a naval ship (a sub or another with nuclear capable missiles) not one but two keys have to be physically turned at the same time. The physical layout is such that it actually takes two people! Even someone with a ridiculously long/wide “wingspan” can’t do it. It really could come down to one or more mid-grade military officers having to decide whether to carry out the order, or say no, I’ll take my chances at a Court Martial.
Replying to Denis and Meg both: I would hope it would take a lot more to actually launch something, but even his actually making the decision to do so is frightening. I think I would also take my chances with a Court Martial.
I do not understand what is going on with our military and the illegal war and the boat strikes.