Thursday, May 31, 2018

Does Trump dance to Russia's tune?


Things that Trump does that Russia likes:

  • Attacks the credibility of U.S. media (so that people won’t believe them when they criticize him.
  • Attacks the credibility of the intelligence services (so that people won’t believe them when they say Russia helped get him elected – or when they present evidence critical of him as a result of their investigations)
  • Attacks the credibility of the Justice Department (so that people won’t believe them when they investigate and/or charge him with crimes)


  • Attacks the alliances with Europe and NATO by defaulting on the U.S. commitment to Iran nuclear inspections
  • Withdraws from the Trans Pacific Partnership and thus throws away U.S. leadership in Asia
  • Attacks Mexico and is withdrawing from NAFTA, thus weakening an alliance with our neighbor
  • Starts trade wars with China and the world, guaranteeing damage to the U.S. economy

  • Increases the inequality gap in America (causing greater and greater hostility between the classes)  
  •  Increases and promotes racism (causing greater and greater hostility between the races)
  • Supports Republican efforts to suppress voter turnout of black and brown people

  • Ignores Russian interference with our elections and thus allows and welcomes future interference   
  •  Lets Russia pretty much do whatever it wants in Crimea, Syria, and around the world unchallenged
  • Pays scant attention to Russian imprisonments and  assassinations of political opponent of Putin



It’s possible that all of the above is not because Russia is forcing him to destroy American democracy through blackmail or bribery.  They could simply be exploiting his massive weaknesses – an insatiable, grandiose ego, willful ignorance, and easy manipulation and malleability. 



It seems quite certain to me, however, that Donald  Trump is Vladimir Putin and his Kleptocracy’s dream come true.  How could they better destroy their old enemy America than help put this man in charge?

Monday, May 14, 2018

Trump's idiocy kills Palestinians

In December, I wrote that Trump's declaration to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem would ignite the tinderbox of the Israeli-Palestinian hostilities.  It did.

"...soldiers on Monday killed 41 Palestinians demonstrating along the border fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip and wounded more than 1,600 in the bloodiest day in the enclave since the 2014 war with Israel, according to the Gaza Health Ministry"

To add to the idiocy of the Trump move, he got nothing in return from Israel when he moved the embassy.  Every president has promised a U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, IF Israel would freeze or abandon the settlements in the occupied territories.  So, Trump gave it away for free - not exactly free, of course, the cost will be Palestinan deaths. 

For some reason my conservative friends think Trump is a good negotiator.  All he does is give things away for free - just as long as he gets a nice headline for a day. 

But, Netanyahu is happy. 


Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Trump and Iran and war

The man who is sadly our president has just pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal.  Hard to fathom.

First, it does no good.  The deal struck by the U.S. and it's European allies got something and gave something in order to strike the deal.  It got very comprehensive and detailed inspections into Iran's nuclear programs. It gave the release of Iranian monies in return.  So, Iran got what it wanted already.  For the U.S. to pull out of the deal is to have given Iran what it wanted and said that Iran no longer needs to give us what we want.  Hard to imagine dumber deal making.  "The Art of the Deal"?  How about the art of giving away everything and walking away from the return?

It is easy to know that Trump didn't know much about what was in the deal.  He is remorselessly ignorant of almost everything to do with the U.S. government, and his supporters like that about him the most, it appears to me.

Why did he do it?  Primarily to do the only thing that he cares about - undoing everything that Obama did.  Whatever Obama did - environment, education, health care, foreign policy - he undoes.  Because he has no other ideas of what to do.

Why did he do it?  Because Netanyahu told him to and he thinks Netanyahu is tough and Donald wants to be tough like Netanyahu.

Why did he do it?  Because the Saudi royal family praised him mightily and had a very manly sword dance in his honor, and the Saudis are tough and he wants to be tough like the Saudis.  

Why did he do it? Because the Saudis have convinced him that the two warring factions - the Saudi Sunnis and Iranian Shiites - have good guys (the Saudi Sunnis) and bad guys (the Iranian Shiites).  So he does what the Saudis tell him to  do.

Why did he do it? To pull away from Europe, which pleases his xenophobic base who look down upon Europe as a bunch of softie socialists.

Why did he do it?  Because his National Security Advisor John Bolton wants him to, and John Bolton is a tough guy and Donald wants to be be tough like John Bolton.


Why did he do it?  Because he promised he would on the campaign and the crowds cheered and applauded, and he can't live without thunderous applause.

Why did he do it?  Because it grabs the headlines for a day, and distracts from the many headlines of him and his people in the Russian conspiracy investigation. 

Why did he do it?  Because he has taken sides with the Saudis and is waging war against Iran.

Why did he do it?  Because - I hope I am wrong -John Bolton and Mike Pompeo and the Saudis and the Israelis want the U.S. to wage a shooting war against Iran.  They will hold our coats while we go fight and die....

Why did he do it?  Because the only person Trump every cares about or even thinks about is Donald Trump and Donald Trump thinks this is good for Donald Trump.