Trump has thrown America into financial crisis, expanding war, and a surging terror threat. The only good news is that he's all-but-guaranteed Republicans will lose in November.
and let's hope as well for free and fair elections, with a peaceful transfer of power to follow, and the American people win 🤘🐸 #TooBigToRig #TooRealToSteal 🌊🌊🇺🇸💙‼️
Thanks Miles! For your optimism, informed POV, and voice of defiance! yet another excellent piece I can use for my magamom reprogramming project, very much appreciated 🙏🏻❤️🔥
on second thought: hoping is not enough! We need to do so much more than just hope in order to protect our elections & our democracy. I think that we're doing it? Even if we don't know exactly what "it" is yet other than "defiance". but I didn't want to imply that all we need to do is hope; it's a good first step but we must stay vigilant & develop solutions in advance. They're gonna pull out all the tricks to steal these elections, but we the people have power & strength in numbers 🐸🐸🐸🇺🇸🐸🐸🐸
Within a few years of the Wright Brothers first flight, military strategists have dreamed of trying to win a war with aerial bombartment. It does not work. Despite the flattening of almost every German city during WWII, Russian troops had to fight their way into Berlin in some of the bloodiest fighting of the war. Operation Rolling Thunder was intended to bomb North Vietnam back into the stone age but ended with the last Americans in Saigon being airlifted off roofs by helicopter.
Clearly neither Trump not Hegseth have read Sun Tzu or von Clausewitz.
Sun Tzu would have told them to know the enemy - he would have insisted that you do not demand unconditional surrender from a culture that glorifies martyrs!
Clausewitz would have told them that "the fog of war" is not smoke on the water that Hegseth alleged blocked his view of the boat survivors murdered by US forces, but rather the unpredictable and uncontrollable adverse consequences that are caused by any military action - which we are already seeing explode across the middle east and US gas stations.
It is a sad commentary that Trump has, at least for now, succeeded in his #1 goal: the Iran War has pushed the Epstein Files off the front page.
Your points are correct and well taken. I believe Napoleon said, the plan is perfect until the first shot is fired. At least Napoleon started with a plan for every campaign. Trump and company, no so much. Hegseth's "fog of war" is defined by Clausewitz as "friction". Everything takes longer than planned, in part because your opponent has a say. A perfect example was the 101st Airborne holding at Bastogne and delaying the carefully laid German plans by three days. I submit that Iran is now planning *it's* response. We will have wait to see what it is.
It is utter insanity to demand unconditional surrender from a culture that glorifies martyrdom. The stupidity of the Trump-Hegseth will be a goldmine for military historians writing about the greatest blunders in history.
The other thing Clausewitz would have emphasized was the logistics. The dominant military running low on munitions without even a direct hot conflict? Their incompetence is galactic in scale.
Every iota of energy we have must be laser-focused on protecting elections. State AG's and governors must be on board and prepared. There needs to be a uniform strategy; once they are able to put their apparatus in place, it will be too late. They cannot be permitted or given reason to declare an emergency, which is why protecting the elections must be nonviolent, regulatory, and involve the full weight and participation of state executives and legislatures. We are in serious danger here, probably more danger than we have been at any other time in this administration, and it is a mystery to me why Congress is not doing more to sound the alarm and to do what it can; the same is true of state legislatures and governors . . . unless there are things going on behind the scenes, but that is no comfort; we have to be involved, loud, and persistent.
This is such a nightmare, Miles, and you predicted it. Those of us who are well-educated and politically aware saw it coming. The many who voted for Trump because "we just like him" are, I hope, seeing the error of their ways.
The United States is living through a nightmare scenario.
Great writing, Miles. This insanity is tanking our country and lives, and the world as well. I hope dems will be smarter than at Dallas county primary elections last week. Because the maga cult is Machiavellian about the elections to stay in power.
I'm old enough to remember color coded threat levels after 9/11. Green for no known threat up thru yellow, orange & red for the most severe threat. I don't know about you but I'm thinking red shouldn't be the highest threat level, maybe it should be flashing red, with sirens & PSAs on TV & social media platforms. When I was little, somewhere around 5 or 6 I'd say, I vividly recall PSAs on TV showing depictions of mushroom clouds over our cities & since I lived on Long Island about 15-20 miles from NYC those mushroom clouds were directed at us. My guess is that folks that lived in the hinterland may not have had their airwaves saturated with those messages. And that threat did not wane, when I was a bit older I had an assignment to give a brief presentation in my class on any subject. I had recently went with my Mom to pay our utility bill, we did that in person back in the day & there was a post card sized paper with instructions on what to do in the event of a nuclear attack. I took one of those to use as the basis of my presentation. Looking back on that I have to wonder what my teacher thought of my topic. I wonder, did she go home to her family & tell them that her little grade school kid had picked the topic of nuclear attack as a subject for a short presentation in class?
Our children of today routinely have active shooter drills! WTF? So maybe we should add terrorist attack threat training. We had bomb drills in schools. We all were shepherded out into the hall of the school away from the glass windows. It was a Catholic school so we faced the direction of the church & were instructed to pray. Ah, the good old days of childhood. Back then at least we figured we'd have a bit of a warning. Now we can be at risk just doing any damn thing at all.
Sorry I dabbled in my history. I guess it just proved that the only thing we have learned as a species is how to create even more means of death & destruction. But now we have unleashed a madman & his sycophants &/or puppetmasters with the power to wield that death & destruction.
If our leader was worried about a target on his back, NOW it's going to be a lot worse. Yep I've been saying this for a while now. When you poke the bear, piss him off and then think of geez I better run, but CAN'T, you have a target on your back and it won't matter where he goes they will find him.
As a 9/11 survivor, the “I guess” comment was so infuriating and disrespectful to me. It took me a couple of years to recover from the PTSD and not live in fear anymore. And because the government lied to us about the poisonous environment around Ground Zero, I’ve had 4 different kinds of cancer in the last 21 years. Yeah, and the wars launched on lies that went on forever and made gazillions for Halliburton Et. Al are the template to predict how badly this irresponsible power-grab war—yes, WAR because it is a WAR— going to go. So tired of a government not OF the people but BUY the uber greedy and FOR irresponsible corporations and billionaires.
Whose going to pay for all of this spending? If I was a voice in the room, somehow I would make the billionaires pay. They benefitted on the way up and they should participate on the way down. Our deficit is going to be unmanageable if we don’t bring it down significantly. Besides, a country with such a large gap in the haves and have nots, in my opinion, isn’t a country operating very well on so many levels. PS - I’m beyond pissed.
Basically, America’s foreign policy has been “the end justifies the means”. Problem now is Trump doesn’t know or care what the end is, other than for self-aggrandizement and wealth. He will do whatever it takes. Trump’s gold chariot is being drawn by The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
"We cannot let terrorism reshape how we live." HA, HA, HA! The insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021 has DEFINED how we live and it is just gaining speed. WAKE UP!
Here’s the problem: this is all likely to get worse in the next months. Not only because this war has set into motion a cascade of terrible likely consequences but also because this mentally declining president grows only more desperate as November approaches. And his only means of assuaging his own discomfort is the imposition of force on others. We’re already seeing dire (all caps) threats to Congress insisting that they manipulate the vote via the appalling “SAVE” act. Will the states push back? Will the Senate hold its pause or kill it? Word is out that potential defectors are having their lives/families threatened.
How on earth will we protect the elections when the bullying and lawlessness of this president has thus far been so breathtakingly enabled? What domestic war may be sprung on us as the ones with Venezuela and Iran have been?
There is currently no Republican Party, only the Trump Party. Politicians who think they are Republicans are really the walking dead, zombies under Trump's control. Everyone else has a responsibility to do something to better our future. May I guide you to “a third way” path? Please, join me at EthicalGovtNow.org. Only $12 annually (3.3 cents a day). Dems may win the midterms, but our Republic is in a much more complicated place than most of us think. We need a longer view of solutions to our inherited societal and political complexities and need to look for them with priorities, while supporting all liberal Democrats now. Please CLICK to visit, delve into and join: EthicalGovtNow.org now or, what we are experiencing, our grandchildren are very likely to inherit.
and let's hope as well for free and fair elections, with a peaceful transfer of power to follow, and the American people win 🤘🐸 #TooBigToRig #TooRealToSteal 🌊🌊🇺🇸💙‼️
Thanks Miles! For your optimism, informed POV, and voice of defiance! yet another excellent piece I can use for my magamom reprogramming project, very much appreciated 🙏🏻❤️🔥
on second thought: hoping is not enough! We need to do so much more than just hope in order to protect our elections & our democracy. I think that we're doing it? Even if we don't know exactly what "it" is yet other than "defiance". but I didn't want to imply that all we need to do is hope; it's a good first step but we must stay vigilant & develop solutions in advance. They're gonna pull out all the tricks to steal these elections, but we the people have power & strength in numbers 🐸🐸🐸🇺🇸🐸🐸🐸
Good save, Igor. Go Froggies go!!
Within a few years of the Wright Brothers first flight, military strategists have dreamed of trying to win a war with aerial bombartment. It does not work. Despite the flattening of almost every German city during WWII, Russian troops had to fight their way into Berlin in some of the bloodiest fighting of the war. Operation Rolling Thunder was intended to bomb North Vietnam back into the stone age but ended with the last Americans in Saigon being airlifted off roofs by helicopter.
Clearly neither Trump not Hegseth have read Sun Tzu or von Clausewitz.
Sun Tzu would have told them to know the enemy - he would have insisted that you do not demand unconditional surrender from a culture that glorifies martyrs!
Clausewitz would have told them that "the fog of war" is not smoke on the water that Hegseth alleged blocked his view of the boat survivors murdered by US forces, but rather the unpredictable and uncontrollable adverse consequences that are caused by any military action - which we are already seeing explode across the middle east and US gas stations.
It is a sad commentary that Trump has, at least for now, succeeded in his #1 goal: the Iran War has pushed the Epstein Files off the front page.
Your points are correct and well taken. I believe Napoleon said, the plan is perfect until the first shot is fired. At least Napoleon started with a plan for every campaign. Trump and company, no so much. Hegseth's "fog of war" is defined by Clausewitz as "friction". Everything takes longer than planned, in part because your opponent has a say. A perfect example was the 101st Airborne holding at Bastogne and delaying the carefully laid German plans by three days. I submit that Iran is now planning *it's* response. We will have wait to see what it is.
It is utter insanity to demand unconditional surrender from a culture that glorifies martyrdom. The stupidity of the Trump-Hegseth will be a goldmine for military historians writing about the greatest blunders in history.
tangentially, aerial bombing reminds me of hunting. hardly a level playing field.
The other thing Clausewitz would have emphasized was the logistics. The dominant military running low on munitions without even a direct hot conflict? Their incompetence is galactic in scale.
Every iota of energy we have must be laser-focused on protecting elections. State AG's and governors must be on board and prepared. There needs to be a uniform strategy; once they are able to put their apparatus in place, it will be too late. They cannot be permitted or given reason to declare an emergency, which is why protecting the elections must be nonviolent, regulatory, and involve the full weight and participation of state executives and legislatures. We are in serious danger here, probably more danger than we have been at any other time in this administration, and it is a mystery to me why Congress is not doing more to sound the alarm and to do what it can; the same is true of state legislatures and governors . . . unless there are things going on behind the scenes, but that is no comfort; we have to be involved, loud, and persistent.
This is such a nightmare, Miles, and you predicted it. Those of us who are well-educated and politically aware saw it coming. The many who voted for Trump because "we just like him" are, I hope, seeing the error of their ways.
The United States is living through a nightmare scenario.
Thanks Miles for spelling it out.
Great writing, Miles. This insanity is tanking our country and lives, and the world as well. I hope dems will be smarter than at Dallas county primary elections last week. Because the maga cult is Machiavellian about the elections to stay in power.
I'm old enough to remember color coded threat levels after 9/11. Green for no known threat up thru yellow, orange & red for the most severe threat. I don't know about you but I'm thinking red shouldn't be the highest threat level, maybe it should be flashing red, with sirens & PSAs on TV & social media platforms. When I was little, somewhere around 5 or 6 I'd say, I vividly recall PSAs on TV showing depictions of mushroom clouds over our cities & since I lived on Long Island about 15-20 miles from NYC those mushroom clouds were directed at us. My guess is that folks that lived in the hinterland may not have had their airwaves saturated with those messages. And that threat did not wane, when I was a bit older I had an assignment to give a brief presentation in my class on any subject. I had recently went with my Mom to pay our utility bill, we did that in person back in the day & there was a post card sized paper with instructions on what to do in the event of a nuclear attack. I took one of those to use as the basis of my presentation. Looking back on that I have to wonder what my teacher thought of my topic. I wonder, did she go home to her family & tell them that her little grade school kid had picked the topic of nuclear attack as a subject for a short presentation in class?
Our children of today routinely have active shooter drills! WTF? So maybe we should add terrorist attack threat training. We had bomb drills in schools. We all were shepherded out into the hall of the school away from the glass windows. It was a Catholic school so we faced the direction of the church & were instructed to pray. Ah, the good old days of childhood. Back then at least we figured we'd have a bit of a warning. Now we can be at risk just doing any damn thing at all.
Sorry I dabbled in my history. I guess it just proved that the only thing we have learned as a species is how to create even more means of death & destruction. But now we have unleashed a madman & his sycophants &/or puppetmasters with the power to wield that death & destruction.
If our leader was worried about a target on his back, NOW it's going to be a lot worse. Yep I've been saying this for a while now. When you poke the bear, piss him off and then think of geez I better run, but CAN'T, you have a target on your back and it won't matter where he goes they will find him.
As a 9/11 survivor, the “I guess” comment was so infuriating and disrespectful to me. It took me a couple of years to recover from the PTSD and not live in fear anymore. And because the government lied to us about the poisonous environment around Ground Zero, I’ve had 4 different kinds of cancer in the last 21 years. Yeah, and the wars launched on lies that went on forever and made gazillions for Halliburton Et. Al are the template to predict how badly this irresponsible power-grab war—yes, WAR because it is a WAR— going to go. So tired of a government not OF the people but BUY the uber greedy and FOR irresponsible corporations and billionaires.
Whose going to pay for all of this spending? If I was a voice in the room, somehow I would make the billionaires pay. They benefitted on the way up and they should participate on the way down. Our deficit is going to be unmanageable if we don’t bring it down significantly. Besides, a country with such a large gap in the haves and have nots, in my opinion, isn’t a country operating very well on so many levels. PS - I’m beyond pissed.
Basically, America’s foreign policy has been “the end justifies the means”. Problem now is Trump doesn’t know or care what the end is, other than for self-aggrandizement and wealth. He will do whatever it takes. Trump’s gold chariot is being drawn by The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
"He can’t stand looking like “a loser.” Yeah Miles but he is a loser
"We cannot let terrorism reshape how we live." HA, HA, HA! The insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021 has DEFINED how we live and it is just gaining speed. WAKE UP!
Thank you, Miles.
Here’s the problem: this is all likely to get worse in the next months. Not only because this war has set into motion a cascade of terrible likely consequences but also because this mentally declining president grows only more desperate as November approaches. And his only means of assuaging his own discomfort is the imposition of force on others. We’re already seeing dire (all caps) threats to Congress insisting that they manipulate the vote via the appalling “SAVE” act. Will the states push back? Will the Senate hold its pause or kill it? Word is out that potential defectors are having their lives/families threatened.
How on earth will we protect the elections when the bullying and lawlessness of this president has thus far been so breathtakingly enabled? What domestic war may be sprung on us as the ones with Venezuela and Iran have been?
Not Republicans—the G(guardians) O(of) P(pedos)
There is currently no Republican Party, only the Trump Party. Politicians who think they are Republicans are really the walking dead, zombies under Trump's control. Everyone else has a responsibility to do something to better our future. May I guide you to “a third way” path? Please, join me at EthicalGovtNow.org. Only $12 annually (3.3 cents a day). Dems may win the midterms, but our Republic is in a much more complicated place than most of us think. We need a longer view of solutions to our inherited societal and political complexities and need to look for them with priorities, while supporting all liberal Democrats now. Please CLICK to visit, delve into and join: EthicalGovtNow.org now or, what we are experiencing, our grandchildren are very likely to inherit.