Trump’s Armageddon insanity in Iran reminds me of an old funny-not-funny joke:
“When it’s my time to die, I want to go peacefully and in my sleep, like my uncle. Not screaming in terror like his passengers.”
The world is careening as an indulged manchild sets it on fire, while Republicans in Congress violate their oaths and refuse to stop him. From burning hellscapes in the Middle East to the earth’s rising temperatures, Trump is the quintessential arsonist with a hose: Douse the flames with gas, brandish a spigot, then demand adulation for putting out the fire.
On Monday, Trump threatened the globe with deranged ramblings about the Stone Age, on Tuesday he served tacos, and by Wednesday bombs were falling again and the Strait of Hormuz was decidedly not open. Turns out Trump can’t control Netanyahu, who, continuing the bombing campaign, is as concerned as Trump about staying in power, but isn’t as concerned about the price of gas. Maybe Trump should have considered Bibi’s motivations before he let him drag us into Israel’s forever war.
Nah. Just kidding. Consequences are beyond Trump’s capacity. But even as we inch closer to 12 on the Atomic clock, signs of intelligent life, i.e. resistance, are stirring.
Military brass understands the assignment
Last November, after Trump and Hegseth released one snuff video after another bragging about murdering people on the high seas, Senator Mark Kelly and five other veteran lawmakers released a video reminding U.S. service members that they must refuse illegal orders, citing canned, non-controversial military code. Even though they were announcing the law as it is plainly written, the video got under Trump and Hegseth’s skin, so they “investigated” to try to silence Kelly, a retired Navy captain.
To Hegseth, Kelly citing the military code of conduct — which Hegseth considers “woke” — was “conduct unbecoming an officer.” Setting aside the absurdity of a Secretary of Defense openly rejecting military law, it seems Kelly’s public service announcement may have hit its mark.
Because on Tuesday, MSNBC aired an interview suggesting that military officers were already rejecting Hegseth’s civilian targets.
When a dry(?) drunk tells you to bomb civilians, JUST SAY NO
Fox News may have sold Trump’s gamesmanship in Iran as victory, but not everyone was fooled. Because while our Commander in Chief was busy tanking 80 years of post-WWII security, military brass was pushing back. On April 7, Retired Army Major General Randy Manner appeared on MS NOW, where he told Nicolle Wallace that military officials were saying “no” to Pentagon leadership. General Manner said in part:
The idea of attacking bridges that are clearly, overwhelmingly for civilian use would be a war crime, and the planners in CENTCOM would not permit that. I have indications that many targets recommended by the Secretary of Defense were rejected by CENTCOM (because) they were civilian targets… It’s secondhand knowledge, but I believe people are already saying no to the hierarchy.”
Since Trump and Hegseth fired JAGs as the first order of business, and excluded military lawyers from strike planning, mapping out the combat missions in Iran falls to CENTCOM, U.S. Central Command. Officers at CENTCOM are now the last line of defense against Trump’s unlawful orders.
It is reassuring, to put it mildly, that while Republicans are letting a lunatic destroy the global order, military leaders are not. By rejecting Trump’s blatantly unlawful orders and honoring their oaths of office, and the law, they are standing up where Congress has fallen.
Even Tucker Carlson gets it
Trump’s f-bomb laden Easter tantrum revealed his frustration at being sold a quick and easy war in Iran, which has turned out to be anything but. Threatening war crimes, he posted that, “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran…JUST WATCH!... ‘Praise be to Allah!’”
Even Tucker Carlson was triggered. Carlson urged members of the administration and military to resign if given orders to slaughter civilians. Taking severe umbrage at the mocking “praise Allah” part of Trump’s message, Carlson asked, “Who do you think you are?...(Y)ou are not God. And only if you think you are, do you talk this way.” Then, in an astonishing endorsement of the Constitution from the far right, he wrote, (We are) not a theocracy. We don’t go to war with other theocracies to find out which theocracy is more effective…”
Color me shocked. A broken clock strikes at just the right moment during America’s darkest hour. It jolted me with hope for my beloved and beleaguered country when I least expected it, reminding me of another favorite saying:
“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.” ---Albert Camus
Sabrina Haake is a 25+ year federal trial attorney specializing in 1st and 14th A defense. Her columns are published in Alternet, Chicago Tribune, MSN, Out South Florida, Raw Story, Salon, Smart News and Windy City Times. Her Substack, The Haake Take, is free.
