TRUMP'S SPEECH ON HIS IRAN WAR

I've been reading Krugman since 2005. Of all the reviews I've read about Trump's speech last night, my opinion is that Krugman's take is the most accurate:

 Paul Krugman:   

"It turns out that the speech was sort of an anticlimax, although not in a good way. Many people expected Trump to pull the mother of all TACOs, to declare victory and surrender. He did not do that. He declared victory, of course, but he did not actually announce an end to hostilities. On the contrary, he said we’re going to bomb Iran into the Stone Age. 

So add massive war crimes to your schedule. There is clearly no strategy here. There’s no endgame. There’s nothing. It’s hard to tell, as always, whether Trump is delusional or just completely unable to admit something that he actually knows.

 One of the moments that really struck me in the speech was him declaring that the whole world was extremely impressed by what happened. He said, the whole world is watching and they can’t believe the power, strength and brilliance. They just can’t believe what they’re seeing. The world can’t believe what it’s seeing.

 What it’s seeing is that the world’s greatest military power took on a fourth-rate power. Again, as I said the other day, Iran’s military budget is a rounding error in our military budget. And we lost. For all practical purposes, we’ve left ourselves in a much weaker position and Iran in a stronger position than it was before."

This is how the world sees Trump:

HEGSETH'S DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE: STUPID, INEPT, INCOMPETENT, AND CHILLING

 

Hegseth says suspensions lifted for helicopter crews who hovered over Kid Rock home 

Pentagon chief’s remarks come after US army said crews suspended amid investigation into incident in Tennessee. 

 "Defense secretary Pete Hegseth said the crews of two US army AH-64 Apache helicopters that hovered next to the singer Kid Rock’s swimming pool while he clapped and saluted on Saturday are no longer suspended.

 'No punishment. No investigation,' Hegseth wrote on social media. 'Carry on, patriots.' 

 Hegseth’s announcement came just hours after a US army spokesperson said the crews had been suspended from flying pending a investigation. 

 'The army has confirmed that on 28 March, two Apache helicopters from the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Campbell conducted a flight in the Nashville area that has attracted public and media attention,'  according to a statement from the army on Tuesday. 

 The army said it was reviewing 'the circumstances surrounding the mission, including compliance with relevant FAA regulations, aviation safety protocol, and approval requirements' ”. 

***************************

If Hegseth is publicly thanking Kid Rock for getting an Army pilot’s suspension lifted, it implies: 

•the decision wasn’t based on evidence or proper review 

•it was based on celebrity influence and political connections 

•and military discipline is now subject to who knows who.

Hegseth ordered them on his own but Kid Rock probably asked him to, and it seems evidence based on the fact he had cameras there to record it.

Reckless, lawless, rogue administration staffed by inept and incompetent amateurs. 

So the pilots get a pass for misusing a military helicopter to wave at Kid Rock from Hegseth and Trump.

This tells you everything you need to know. 

The Kid Rock helicopter thing is, like a lot of things right now, both stupid and chilling, because it shows how casually Hegseth will waive away anything he perceives to be "patriotic" and righteous. 

This is Kid Rock, the guy who sang about promoting pedophilia and who Hegseth praised as a patriot and who fits right in with Trump's administration:

Rock’s 2001 song, “Cool, Daddy Cool,” which contains the lyrics, “Young ladies, young ladies, I like ’em underage, see some say that’s statutory (but I say that’s mandatory).”

GUEST POST BY DAVE MILLER

My Gas Bill Jumped 45%…  

Who’s to blame?

 

In early February, I left my home in the Las Vegas Valley for two months of work in Mexico. At that time, gas was $3.19 per gallon at my local Smith’s Food King. 

I returned just a few days ago to find the price at that same pump had jumped to $4.59—an increase of nearly 45%. 

During the 2024 campaign, then-candidate Trump argued that President Biden’s policies had destroyed the economy and were responsible for surging gas prices. 

Trump pledged to end a "war on American energy" on his first day in office and promised to bring gasoline below $2 a gallon. That hasn’t happened. 

Like most Americans, I live on a fixed budget. I make what I make, I have little extra to put into savings, and I’m going to struggle with this increase. I try not to get angry about things like this. 

Personally, I don’t think presidents have much control over energy prices; after all, oil is a commodity traded on a global market. But if a candidate opens that door and promises to slash the per-gallon cost, I’m going to hope for the best—and hold them to it. 

 Which brings me to today’s discussion: 

Gas prices are up. Whose fault is it? Joe Biden’s? Donald Trump’s? The Ayatollah’s? The greed of Big Oil? The American people and our own 401(k) investments? Or maybe all of the above? 

The man who said he’d have it all under control was either wrong or lying. Now, what do we do?

 

YAHOO!  NEWS: 

 ‘Five Alarm Fire’: 

Devastating New Poll Shows Trump’s Approval Cratering to 33%.

MERITOCRACY IN THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS JUST ANOTHER LIE

 

Pete Hegseth removed 4 decorated Army officers from a promotion list. 

Two are Black. Two are women. 

The Army Secretary refused—called their records exemplary. So Hegseth overrode it himself. Possibly illegally. His chief of staff reportedly said Trump wouldn’t want to stand next to a Black female officer at public events. 

These officers gave decades to this country. Hegseth erased them and called it meritocracy. 

Call it what it actually is: white Christian nationalism.

From "Military Times:"

"Neither the Defense Department nor the White House has offered an explanation based on the officers’ performance or record for Hegseth’s decision. About three dozen officers remain on the promotion list, according to the Times; the majority are white men. 

'This moment should not be separated from a broader, documented pattern,' Jose Vasquez, executive director of Common Defense and an Army veteran, said in a statement. 

'Since taking office, Hegseth has fired generals, renamed ships, and systematically targeted women and people of color in uniform. He is not making our military more lethal. He is making it more loyal to him and that is the true threat to national security and military readiness.' ”

*********************************

Just a reminder: 

This shameful erasure of women and people of color from the Department of Defense comes from the administration whose leader, Donald J. Trump, nominated Matt Gaetz, a former U.S. Representative who was the subject of a long-running Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation into allegations of sex trafficking and sexual misconduct. 

Federal prosecutors investigated allegations that Gaetz and a former associate, Joel Greenberg, paid underage girls and escorts for sex, and violated sex trafficking laws. The probe ended with no charges filed against Gaetz. 

Following his nomination for U.S. Attorney General and subsequent resignation from Congress in November 2024, the House Ethics Committee released a report in December 2024.The report stated there was "substantial evidence" that Gaetz engaged in sexual activity with a 17-year-old girl, engaged in sexual activity with women in exchange for money, used illegal drugs, and accepted impermissible gifts. 

The Trump administration claims it makes its decisions on personnel based on merit, except when it comes to the cabinet heads Trump nominated. Those decisions are based on ass-kissing loyalty and fanatical allegiance to Trump.

• Pete Hegseth (Secretary of Defense): Often described as the "least qualified" pick, Hegseth, a Fox News host and combat veteran, was picked to lead the Department of Defense, a role overseeing over 3 million employees and a $850 billion budget. Critics, including Senator Tammy Duckworth, pointed to his lack of high-level management experience compared to previous secretaries.
• Matt Gaetz (Attorney General - Withdrawn): Tapped to lead the Department of Justice, the former Congressman had no experience as a prosecutor or judge and was under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, leading to questions about his suitability for the role. Gaetz withdrew from consideration.
• Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Secretary of Health and Human Services): A prominent critic of vaccines, Kennedy was selected to oversee the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), prompting concern from health professionals about his lack of traditional public health experience.
• Tulsi Gabbard (Director of National Intelligence): A former Democrat and Fox News contributor, her critics pointed to her lack of background in the intelligence community and past controversial foreign policy views.
• Linda McMahon (Secretary of Education): Former WWE executive who was tapped for the Department of Education, drawing criticism over her background. 

YOUR SUNDAY MOMENT OF ZEN

 

"People who elect corrupt politicians, impostors, thieves and traitors are not victims... but accomplices" ~ George Orwell