We Shouldn’t Stop Criticizing Trump About Iran, But TACO Mocking Could Backfire

I’ll make this short. Like you I’m breathing a sigh of relief, albeit a shallow one right now. Trump has announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran. It’s still murky on whether Iran will announce they too will stand down for two weeks. If we get through the night without them launching any attacks I’ll hold out some actual hope tomorrow. For now the urge to mock Trump with taunts of TACO would I truly believe be counter-productive.

I know. Most people reading this are thinking (if not banging away at their keyboards) that the reason Trump got so out of control in the first place was people humoring him. I’m NOT suggesting that. Not at all. There ARE ways to keep up the pressure, to criticize him for starting this stupid war. If done well, and couched in terms of the damage we’ve done over there but having committed war crimes it might lead to an actual drawdown. Hegseth will of course jump up and down in frustration while egging Trump to ‘pour it on’ but maybe, just maybe others including Gen. Caine can have staff create some really simple posters.

As in putting them up on an easel and one by one reading them one after the other. I’m talking really simple:

1. These is what we had on hand when we started. With some major things like Tomahawk missiles, Patriots and other big ticket items. With the words “Cost Per Unit” and the actual delivered cost.
2. How many we’ve used and what we’ve got left, again by type.
3. How long it takes to manufacture new ones, again showing each type and how many we’d need to get back to pre-war levels.
4. How much the total cost all the munitions we’ve shot off have cost so far.
5. Of what’s left, how many are allotted to deal with OTHER threats and where?

IF Trump isn’t bored at that point a piece of paper (Well, two with the first being what I just listed above) listing the various Naval battle groups that have been deployed and the operational costs to date for each. Same for the combat troops that have been deployed and the ones that are quietly being prepared to.

At this point Trump would pass his ability to pay attention. However just in case a quick few, brief points about maintenance should be brought up using the laundry room fire on the Ford as an example. Trump is famous for getting easily bored but I think he could handle the two to three minutes of what I’ve described. Here’s why it might matter.

Once again I’m NOT suggesting toning down criticism of Trump and posing damned tough questions. I’m just suggesting that we don’t mock him with TACO references until we are sure war with Iran is in the rearview mirror. Trump is well aware of the term and fear of it being used is why after a few days he didn’t just declare victory and pull our ships out of the gulf. He was so afraid of being hit with TACO he kept going and it led to Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz. The effects of that are being felt here and elsewhere but will be with us through this fall. At least. That’s a whole article by itself.

I’ve often said “Defund the Police” was a contender for the dumbest-ass counter-productive slogan progressives ever decided to make into a campaign. I know it didn’t mean quite those three words, that what those who  sold it meant was reallocate a chunk of funding for traditional policing to bringing in special units for certain things. People with proper training to deal with calls involving individuals in mental crisis for example. The problem was too much of America is too dumb to understand that kind of nuance. Most would tune out from an explanation within seconds. It sounded oh so catchy and cool and cost huge when people went to the ballot box.

With TACO there’s not an ounce of nuance. It’s a straight up taunt/trolling of Trump and HE knows it.  Like any cornered and wounded animal he lashes out. The LAST thing we need right now is for him to lash out over a groundswell of TACO Taunting. So I say let’s all not use the term until this crisis is truly over and our forces are back home. We can and should take Trump to task without using THAT particular tool.  That’s my opinion and I’m sticking to it.

Friends, I know everyone begs you for money. I promise, 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

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