Seventy-One percent of midterm voters demanded an end to Trump's Iran war of choice. Bear that in mind through the rest of this post.
Then we have The Wall Street Journal's propensity for absolute bunkum in its editorials which attained another milestone in its Friday, Nov.6 (p. A13) issue. This entry conflating "defunding the troops" with defunding TRUMP and his illegal war of aggression in Iran, i.e.:
Democrats May Defund the Troops
They may cut off funds for the Iran blockade, aiding the mullahs.
"Voters who rebuked President Trump for his many excesses should savor the week because politics in Washington aren’t about to get more substantive or enlightening. The first Democratic big idea is to take the government budget hostage to defund U.S. troops in the middle of a naval blockade in the Middle East.
A stopgap funding measure expires on Dec. 11, and Democrat Ro
Khanna this week floated “a continuing resolution prohibiting the financing of
any combat activities of the U.S. military in Iran.”
Democratic leader Chuck Schumer told the press that many of his members will
want to exploit the funding fight to force concessions on Iran."
First, the Democrats are not planning to "defund the troops" - most of whom didn't willingly sign on to the illegal and misbegotten war of choice in Iran. Second, and most importantly, it is that illegal war that Trump launched that needs defunding. Why? Because it is the primary reason gas and diesel prices are blowing through the roof and also affecting grocery prices. Hence, the most direct way to address the voters' affordability demands is to defund the illegal war fueling it.
My Word War II vet dad, now deceased, would have agreed. As he often told me, every manjack in that global conflict knew what he was fighting for and also who had drawn first blood. It was the Japanese in their attack on Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1942 and then Hitler who also quickly declared war on the U.S. to join Japan Dad, for his part, enlisted in the Army nearly 2 years prior to Pearl Harbor at the age of 18. After that calamitous attack and following months of Army training in Arkansas he was sent to fight in New Guinea.
When the true facts of the pretext for the Vietnam War were made known, i.e. that LBJ concocted the circumstances in the Gulf of Tonkin incident, he immediately opposed it. For those who didn't know, the Gulf of Tonkin incident centered around the Turner Joy and Maddox being allegedly attacked without provocation in the summer of 1964. The claim of LBJ was that the attack(s) were initiated by the North Vietnamese. Though no war was declared the incident presaged a large callup of U.S troops that would reach a half million by 1968.
But in 2005, an internal National
Security Agency historical
study was declassified; it concluded that the Maddox had engaged the North
Vietnamese Navy on August 2, but there were no North Vietnamese Naval
vessels present during the incident of August 4. The report stated regarding
August 2:
“At
1505G, Captain Herrick ordered Ogier's gun crews to open fire if the boats
approached within ten thousand yards. At about 1505G, the Maddox fired three
rounds to warn off the communist boats. This initial action was never reported
by the Johnson administration, which insisted that the Vietnamese boats fired
first”
And regarding August 4:
“It is not simply that there is a different story as to what happened; it is
that no attack happened that night. [...] In truth, Hanoi's navy was engaged in
nothing that night but the salvage of two of the boats damaged on August 2”
In other words, the U.S. aggressors used it as a pretext to demand the Gulf of
Tonkin resolution and launch a war that killed nearly 58,000. And we won't even go into massacres such as at My Lai (see graphic) My dad's position was adamant and fixed:
"We do not start wars!" he often remarked, "Only cowards and tyrants do that!"
He's correct and also was aware of the Nuremberg International Military Court and the type of wars it condemned. Its statement below:
"To initiate a war of aggression is not only an international crime, it is the supreme international crime, differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole."
This clearly describes the war of aggression which the Trumpers and Israel launched on Iran. So dad would definitely not have supported of Trump's Iran war either - especially after learning one of the first strikes was a cruise missile killing 150 Iranian school girls. The war containing the 'accumulated evil of the whole.'
"That's worse than what happened at My Lai!!" he'd have offered - again a case of accumulated evil.
And he'd definitely take umbrage at the WSJ editors' claim that the Democratic congress seeking to defund it was "defunding the troops". As dad would have said:
"You can't defund troops because they don't have the money to wage a war, or drop bombs, fire missiles. It is the government - good or bad- that has the money the funds which can be for good or evil."
'Good' was stopping the Japanese Empire in its march to conquer nations in the Pacific theater, as well as stopping Hitler's march to subjugate Europe and turn it into a giant concentration camp.
But he was adamant, that NO American government should be making an attack on another nation without provocation. And Trump's BS claim of Iranian nuclear weapons doesn't make the cut, any more than G. Dumbya Bush's similar claims about Iraq using aluminum tubes and 'yellowcake' for nuclear bombs to justify his Iraq war.
In the latter, BushCo insisted Saddam possessed "weapons of mass destruction" (WMD), based on some cockeyed “Nigerian yellow cake” confabulation that was officially presented in a well-orchestrated dog and pony show at the UN in 2003- by Colin Powell. Who later professed he had been misled by the Bush bunch into lending his credibility to a patented lie and excuse for aggression.
To launch his war on Iran Trump summoned the bogus pretext of preventing Iran from getting nukes, when the real motive was distraction from the ever-expanding Epstein files - some 54 pages of interviews implicating him. Trump also believed he'd get credit for an easy "regime change" - like he did with Venezuela - forgetting that Iran was far larger and more powerful than Iraq when Bush barged into it in 2003. The victims- apart from the Iranians (thousands of whom were blown up by U.S. missiles) - included dozens of US troops based in Bahrain, hundreds of whom were also forced to live for months on ships (like the U.S.S. Lincoln)lacking proper food, water, and even functioning showers, toilets e.g.
In neither case was the war justified and in each case defunding was fully warranted - had a proper (courageous) congress existed to do so. But rather than admit Trump started a conflict he had no plan for, and couldn't control - one which every sentient military specialist KNEW would shut down the Strait of Hormuz - the WSJ editors have kept coddling him, releasing their baseless codswallop on the Dems instead, i.e.
"Democrats think they have a mandate to end the war no matter the details, but voters can recognize defeat and that's what driving the U.S. from the Strait of Hormuz would be,"
Uh, NO, you derelict nattering nabobs! Any intelligent voter - with an IQ over 100 - would recognize it was Trump himself who invited Iran's shutting the Strait of Hormuz when he attacked that nation with Israeli assistance. He was told not to do this given decades of war gaming analysis had foretold the outcome of any attack - yet the dumb, arrogant fucker did it anyway. The US defeat then had already been predicted by Prof. Jiang Xueqin, a predictive history analyst, as far back as March, i.e.
Disreputable start? How about frat boy drunk Pete Hegseth removing Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, the Pentagon's top military planner - known as the "J5" or Director for Strategy, Plans and Policy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff? How about his similar removal of dozens of other top military brass, as well as concealing a number of facts about this conflict including the Iranian strikes on U.S. ships, sites?
Let's dig deeper, for the benefit of the WSJ editor trolls, since they're into details. Want to talk disreputable? Hegseth has fired or pushed out at least 20 to more than two dozen senior generals, admirals, and civilian defense leaders (roughly 10% of the military's top general and admiral ranks), alongside plans to cut overall general officer slots by an additional 10% for a total 20% reduction across the force. And you're defending one lone admiral after this kneecapping of our military? YOU are the ones who are disreputable in protecting Trump! As former National Security Advisor to President Obama spelled it out on Deadline White House yesterday:
"The law matters. Just consider the boat strikes ordered by Hegseth. They are plainly illegal and there's no basis to even construct a quasi legal argument for why the U.S. military can just be blowing up boats in the Caribbean with no congressional authorization. These are not even war crimes because there's no legal war. They are just straight up crimes and the law should matter as well as the rule of law in this country."
But see, the Wall Street Journal editors no longer believe in the rule of law only a deformed, twisted version provided if it agrees with Trump's dictates- meaning he defines his own laws and morals. If these craven editors had one tenth the steel in the spine of their op-ed columnist Peggy Noonan they'd be agreeing with all she said in her weekend WSJ column, 'Trump Is The Author Of Ruin'.
But no, they keep blindly supporting the most depraved criminal and traitor ever to occupy the presidency.
- Scale
of Base Destruction: Independent and investigative
reports—including Pentagon Lead Inspector General findings and satellite
analysis—show that Iranian strikes caused roughly $9.9 billion to $10
billion in structural damage across at least 244 to 274 individual
buildings and structures at U.S. military installations in the Middle East
(such as in Bahrain, Iraq, and Jordan), far exceeding initial public
acknowledgments.
- Targeting
Air Defenses First: Iran systematically prioritized
early-warning and tracking radar enclosures at U.S. bases—including Camp
Arifjan (Kuwait), Naval Support Activity Bahrain, Prince Sultan Air
Base (Saudi Arabia), and Muwaffaq Salti Air Base (Jordan)—to blind
coalition response systems before hitting residential, command, and
storage zones.
- Omitted
Repair Costs: Pentagon figures initially omitted billions
of dollars in essential base and infrastructure reconstruction costs
because the Department of Defense had not finalized its regional posture
or shared construction cost-sharing agreements with regional allies.
The remaining charges accuse Hegseth of carrying out
unlawful military strikes against suspected drug traffickers; unlawfully
capturing Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro; conducting unauthorized
military operations in Yemen; disregarding laws intended to minimize civilian
casualties; and abusing his power by retaliating against Senator Mark Kelly for
protected speech. All enough to put this SOB criminal away in Leavenworth for twenty years.
Despite all this I do not expect the quisling Reeps to get the message of the midterms and halt the Trump war of aggression, whether by cuts in funding or impeaching Hegseth. That means it's up to the Dems to use the CR (Continuing Resolution) on December 11th to try to cut off funding for the Iran War. No more $$$ to fund Trump and Hegseth's war of aggression! 71 million voters have demanded it!
Yes, the Reeps will howl like stuck pigs about 'commies' and 'radical leftist terrorists' but that's what we expect anyway. Have the balls to ignore it, Dems, and vote your higher conscience. My WWII dad - who fought in a genuine and declared war against the Axis, would want it and approve it. Read again that Nuremberg International Military Court statement on wars of aggression.
There will be parades and marching bands. Flag-waving and
wreath-laying. Politicians will make speeches, friends will raise glasses and
civilians will observe moments of silence. All to honor America’s service
members, now and forever.
But for those who have lost loved ones overseas in the Iran
war, which has been waged since Feb. 28, this Veterans Day comes with a
heaviness that only military families can fathom, and that will grow only more
difficult as they face their first holiday season without their sons and
daughters, siblings and spouses.
“Veterans Day is very different now,” said Charles Simmons,
the father of Master Sgt. Tyler Simmons, who died in a refueling plane crash in
Iraq in March. He added: “It takes on a whole different meaning because it’s
come home. The bell tolls for thee.”
Mr. Simmons said that he and his family “have a profound
sense of pride” for all of his son’s accomplishments. But above all else, he
said, there is “a profound hole in our hearts.”
“I’m a selfish parent,” he said. “I would rather have my
son. My child was sacrificed to save the country. That sounds noble. But in the
grand scheme of things, who wants that? I don’t think I know anyone who would
just willingly volunteer their child’s life.”
Mr. Simmons is one of many people newly navigating mixed feelings of grief, pride and anger, and a yearning for answers about the deaths of their relatives in a war that has left at least 23 service members dead and nearly 900 injured.
— from Robert Reich's Substack
When a senior Cabinet official releases a video message vowing to fight for his job, you know he’s about to lose his job. For Pete Hegseth, it may be a matter of days.
House Republican leaders are bracing for enough GOP defections to impeach Hegseth when the measure comes to a vote this week. Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie says he’ll force a vote to impeach Hegseth unless Hegseth resigns first. Massie plans to introduce an impeachment resolution as early as today. Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on Sunday he’d support the resolution.
In his video — which Hegseth recorded last Thursday, two days after America repudiated Trump (for which even JD Vance blamed on the war in Iran) — Hegseth insists that “We are more determined than ever — more resolute than ever — to finish what we have started.””
» article continues...
Pete Hegseth is carrying out a Holy War at the Pentagon and abroad. He has rightly come under fire for incompetent leadership and mediocre management of the Iran war. The war was a mistake in the first place, both because Iran did not pose an immediate threat to US interests, and because President Donald Trump assumed a rapid victory and regime change would secure oil for the US and its allies for decades to come. But motivated by Christian Nationalism, fueled by angry masculinity, and blinded by ideological certainty, Hegseth’s crusade was doomed to failure from the start. Within the Pentagon, the battle against “woke” ideas and diversity has shaken leadership and hurt morale.
On the international front, Hegseth’s religious conviction about the immorality of Iran’s Islamic leadership led him to the conclusion that his god would protect the US in any war. Yet devoid of real goals and plans, motivated by ignorance about Iranian society, and discarding the intelligence community’s dire warnings about the chances of failure, Hegseth pushed on. The US now finds itself in a long-term war waged by an angry Fox journalist, not a competent secretary of defense.
by Robert Reich | April 17, 2026 - 5:36am | permalink
— from Robert Reich's Substack
You’ve got to hand it to Pope Leo, who used a speech today in Cameroon to express “woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth.”
I can’t imagine who Leo was talking about, can you?
In case there was any doubt, the pope added: “The world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants, yet it is held together by a multitude of supportive brothers and sisters.”
The tyrant in the Oval Office has been trying to portray his war in Iran as a “just war” backed by the will of God and Jesus Christ. Pope Leo disagrees. Jesus, he says, “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war.”
And:
Opinion | The Pope Bedevils Trump - The New York Times
Excerpt:
President Trump has been rampaging around the globe like Grendel at dinner time, a rapacious, feral creature. Who could stand up to him?
The soft-spoken, humble Leo, who strives to unify, squared off against the bombastic, solipsistic Trump, who strives to divide. And watching the saintly pope school the amoral president is a blessed sight.
On Easter Sunday, Trump blasted out one of his assorted threats to destroy Iranian civilization, crudely appending the phrase “Praise be to Allah.” Leo called the existential extortion “truly unacceptable,” a transgression against moral law.
Trump escalated. He posted a meme of himself as a Jesus-like figure healing a sick man and he attacked the Holy Father on social media with sinful aspersions, saying the pope is “WEAK on crime” and “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.”
Leo, who’s Chicago-tough, hasn’t backed down. On X, he said: “God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.”
He reminded the authoritarian, Strangelovian president that he should be promoting peace through dialogue and multilateralism.
“Too many people are suffering today, too many innocent people have been killed,” Leo told reporters, “and I believe someone must stand up and say that there is a better way.”
In a puerile fit of apparent retribution on Thursday, Trump canceled an $11 million federal contract with Catholic Charities in Miami to house and feed migrant children coming to America alone. (Even my Trump-indulging sister found that disgusting.)
It’s hard for the president to give the pope the respect that he deserves because Trump clearly thinks that he’s the Messiah.
And:
Pope Leo Continues Feud with Trump: 'World Being Ravaged by Tyrants'
And:
And any or all of these Youtube videos:
Trump has 'no idea' what he’s gotten into on Iran | David Cay Johnston
THIS WAR IS TURNING INTO AMERICA’S NIGHTMARE. | Prof. John Mearsheimer
