NB: This will be one
of my more disjointed posts. Today’s
events make clear where the world is headed…and one way or another, it ain’t
pretty. But my views on that are for
another day.
Just a couple of days ago, I wrote “The
Takeover is Complete.” Trump has
gone from radical to neocon insider in a few short weeks. The post was regarding Trump’s statements
toward Assad and Syria – a 180 degree turn from his campaign, and since then
backed up by Tomahawk Cruise Missiles.
Not only has what I have written turned out to be true, but
this post is far and away the most read post I have ever written – at least
twice the reads of anything else I have ever written.
What does this suggest?
I am not sure; my initial reaction: people are both stunned and hurt by
the transformation of Trump. They voted
for something else.
It's a far cry from the world we thought
we'd inherit
It's a far cry from the way we thought we'd
share it
One day I feel I'm on top of the world
And the next it's falling in on me
One day I feel I'm ahead of the wheel,
And the next it's rolling over me
-
Rush, Neil Peart, Far Cry
Setting
Revelation
16:14 They are demonic spirits that perform signs, and they go out to the
kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God
Almighty. 15 “Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and
remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.” 16 Then they
gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
I have no idea how to interpret anything associated with
Christian (or any other) eschatology.
Neither do you. But the color is
beautiful. And the setting is the Middle
East.
(CNN)
The United States launched a military strike Thursday on a Syrian government
target in response to their chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of
civilians earlier in the week.
On President Donald Trump's orders,
US warships launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at a Syrian government airbase
where the warplanes that carried out the chemical attacks were based, US officials
said.
This didn’t take long.
From
“My attitude toward Syria and Assad has changed very much,” to “bombs away,” it
only took a few short moments.
The kings from all corners, from Gog and Magog, are
gathering for battle on the plains of Megiddo.
Russia is going to sit back and not react? Iran?
There is no good outcome to this.
Oakland
What on earth does Oakland have to do with any of this?
On December 2,
2016, at approximately 11:20 p.m. PST, a fire broke out in a warehouse,
known as Ghost Ship, that had been converted into an artist collective,
including dwelling units, in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland, California….A
total of 36 people were killed in the fire, the deadliest in the history of
Oakland.
I still haven’t shed any light, have I?
A criminal investigation into the
fire was launched by the Alameda County District Attorney's Office on December
4. An arson investigation was also launched. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaff said
charges against anyone found responsible could range from involuntary
manslaughter to murder. A report published on February 8, 2017, was
inconclusive, noting that investigation was still ongoing and that the
electrical system was part of the analysis.
To my knowledge, there is still no conclusion.
In Oakland – US territory, at least the last time I checked –
and they still don’t know what caused the fire.
But Trump knew, within hours – half-a-world away – that it
was Assad. And…bombs away.
Now it's come to this
It's like we're back in the Dark Ages
From the Middle East to the Middle West
It's a world of superstition
Now it's come to this
Wide-eyed armies of the faithful
From the Middle East to the Middle West
Pray, and pass the ammunition
-
Rush, Neil Peart, "The
Way The Wind Blows"
Superstition. The voodoo
dolls. But whose voodoo dolls? Palace intrigue at its finest.
By the way, what happened to Bannon?
Now it's come to this
Hollow speeches of mass deception
From the Middle East to the Middle West
Like crusaders in a holy alliance
Mass deception, indeed.
The Trump Voters
It comes down to this: why did they vote for Trump? Trump voters were mad about something. What were they mad about? Certainly the economy. Likely the left-liberal social justice nonsense
(despite the Crown Royal, I will avoid the vulgarities).
Did they vote to stop the wars? Get out of the Middle East? What the f*ck does “Make America Great Again”
mean? We already knew that America (meaning
the criminal government) could bomb anywhere whenever it wanted to do so. There is no “again” about this, bombing
anywhere and everywhere. Hillary was
perfectly capable of this America.
WWTVD? What will
Trump voters do? The ball is in their
court. The action is up to them.
Is this the Trump you wanted?
Fait Accompli?
We can only go the way the wind blows
We can only bow to the here and now
Or be broken down blow by blow
I hope not. Because the
wind is blowing toward Armageddon – in the worst interpretation of the term.
Conclusion
When I wrote my post about the takeover being complete, a
thought came to me: a timeline is needed.
I have begun this project: capture headlines and articles
about Trump; capture the changes, capture the shifts, capture when the
establishment has pushed back and what happened thereafter. A day
by day timeline. What he is today is a
far cry from what people were hoping for when they voted for him.
I know the same thing can be written about Obama. But Trump is different – not Trump the man,
but Trump the idea. His voters didn’t vote
for a man, they voted for an idea – and Trump has fully betrayed the idea.
I have begun this project by going back to his election
night victory. I am currently through
early February. Once I get current, I
will post it.
But I will want to go back, before the election; and I have
many thoughts to add to the timeline.
If it is true – as I believe – that the Trump election
reflected a real inflection point, not for whatever reality Trump presents, but
for the reasons people voted for him, then this timeline needs to be captured.
I hope to have the first draft out in three or four days.
Henceforth I shall call him President Swamp Thing.
ReplyDeleteI had hoped that Trump actually meant what he said about peace with Russia and about not wanting to impose "democracy" on other countries and tell them how to live. I had hoped he wasn't the liar that George HFP (Humble Foreign Policy) Bush was. These hopes were at least better than the certainty of the opposite offered by Hillary. But I never allowed those hopes to become belief, having seen promises betrayed by every president in my lifetime and read of the betrayals of pretty much every president in US history.
ReplyDeleteI could see this coming not long after inauguration day. How long did it take for the sabre rattling against Iran and North Korea to begin? How long did it take for Trump to send a harridan worse than Samantha Power to the UN and to send out his own tweet with the ridiculous demand that Russia "give back" Crimea? How long did it take for Trump to authorize a strike in Yemen, and for him to begin morally posturing over one dead Seal while saying not a word about the women and children that Seal helped to kill? How long did it take for Trump to place boots on the ground in Syria without so much as a by-your-leave from the Syrian government while staging more troops nearby? How long did it take for Trump to begin prattling about "safe zones" without any consultation with Syria? Why was no one doing their best Steve Urwin impression and shouting "Danger! Danger! Danger!" while these things were happening?
Perhaps if the True Trump Believers had not turned a blind eye to the early warning signs or tried so hard to pass them off as some sort of "clever" political strategy, they might have made their voices heard in time to force a change in direction. Or perhaps it was hopeless from the start. We'll never know, because the denial persisted right up until the missiles were launched. If there was a horses head in Trump's bed, he found it when he awoke on January 21 after his first night in the White House.
Brett, your list of questions are all good; for me, none of these were the issue and certainly not differentiators vs Hillary.
DeleteThere was only one: Russia.
Obama at least had the backbone - despite having all of the same warmonger types around him that Trump does - to NOT start a shooting war like this in a location where Russia is present.
Trump, compared to Hillary, offered that possibility.
The key differentiation for me was immigration. I never believed that Trump would be able to or even want to reverse our immigration policies but I would have been concerned Hillary would try to do to America what Merkel has done to Germany.
DeleteI voted for W because " humble " foreign policies. He them became a persona non grade to me for the rest of his two terms. Trump is now joining the W. liar gang.
DeleteMany of us warned the "its not Trump but what he represents" crowd that they were delusional to think that the election of a carnival barking crony capitalist eminent domain loving serial prevaricating adulterer who promised to bolster Leviathan's military national security complex would somehow herald the advent of a more decentralized world.
ReplyDeleteThe inflection point to which you, BM, advert, is a chimera. If one votes for Trump upon the basis that Trump represents a rejection of political correctness, without more, one votes for more of the same: more empire, more debt, more terrorism, more government, more Israel, and more neoconnery.
liberty Mike
"...would somehow herald the advent of a more decentralized world."
DeleteYou keep looking to Trump as if Trump is the point; it isn’t Trump, it is what those who voted for him thought they were getting. Decentralization is still coming, and Trump was going to accelerate it no matter what he did.
Within the US, that people voted for him in such large numbers indicate that they don't want union under the same terms; the two sides are as far apart as any time since 1860. This is what Trump represented; it had nothing to do with what he would end up doing (as if any of us so-called "delusional" ones believed he would never launch a cruise missile); it has to do with what the people want. One way or another, they will get their decentralization.
Internationally: people think he is unreliable and looney. But, again, it isn’t Trump but that people voted for him. *This* is the United States; this is what Mexico, Europe and China have for a future partner. Do you believe they are working on getting closer to *this*? More “centralized”?
Were you of the mind that this transition would be peaceful? Just wait to see what he does within the US. The path from here to there will be painful, but we are headed toward a decentralized world.
You are viewing this entire situation through the wrong end of the lens.
And our choices were?? I picked Trump early on. When all of the neocons were lined up together, I knew 100% what was ahead by choosing any other-same old same old. Yes it is true I could have chosen to not vote as many did. But I could not imagine a worse world then having Hillary. I did not vote so much FOR Trump, but AGAINST Hillary.
DeleteI strongly oppose what happened yesterday. But for me it was about HOPE. I just hoped...a world without hope seems useless to me. I still hope what lies ahead of us is better than it would have been if Hillary had won. I keep praying for peace... Bluebird
"You keep looking to Trump as if Trump is the point; it isn't Trump, it is what those who voted for him thought they were getting."
DeleteI agree that Trump qua Trump is not the epicenter; however, I submit that there was very little basis in fact for Trump voters to think that Trump was going to press for decentralization. To the contrary, those who voted for Trump could not have plausibly thought that his election would bring less "union" and that under his reign fewer resources would be devoted to empire.
How can we argue that those who voted for Trump, particularly those who the Z-man refers to as the "dirt people", thought that they were getting decentralization and a repudiation of the ruling class and its warfare / welfare template when Trump consistently promised more military spending and more Medicaid, more Medicare, and more social security?
That large numbers of people do not want business as usual may be true; but, a vote for Trump, in my view, does not support that proposition. Railing against BLM, safe spaces, Lizzie Warren, the kangaroo courts on college campuses with regard to crimes against feminism, NAFTA, the invasion of the homeland by brown skinned illiterates and coarsening of our culture is incompatible with the notion that a vote for Trump gives voice to the same.
I hope and pray that you are right, that decentralization is inevitable no matter what policies the Trump administration pursues.
Its just that I don't buy the link between what the sheeple thought they were getting by casting their votes for Trump and the latter's election somehow accelerating decentralization.
Would not those same forces be at work had Hillary prevailed?
Liberty Mike
Nice to hear from you, Bluebird!
DeleteMike
DeleteYour list of the things Trump said he would do that is consistent with the centralized state is undoubtedly correct. But it isn’t what is the “same” about Trump, it is about what is different. Start here:
http://bionicmosquito.blogspot.com/2017/03/russia-is-diversion.html
With Hillary, we were going to get 100% of the same, and more of it (good and hard) and 0% different; with Trump, we will also get 100% of the same, and more of it (good and hard) – albeit my one hope regarding Russia – and at least 50% different.
Trump was the most radical departure from the politically correct, mainstream junk being shoved down the throats of those who lived in red counties in my lifetime. The next closest that at least had a respectable showing in the vote count was Buchanan; the most radical was Ron Paul – but even Paul didn’t challenge some of the orthodoxies that Trump did.
“Railing against BLM, safe spaces, Lizzie Warren, the kangaroo courts on college campuses with regard to crimes against feminism, NAFTA, the invasion of the homeland by brown skinned illiterates and coarsening of our culture is incompatible with the notion that a vote for Trump gives voice to the same.”
Nonsense. If you are judging the situation based on Trump taking meaningful political action on these, you are judging it the wrong way. By the tens of millions, people have said they don’t want those things – this is meaningful, and even if nothing changes it is important for people to know that by the millions they are not alone in hating the left-liberalism, progressive, war-monger, politically correct, bankster monstrosity that is the US system.
They “revolted” in the one way they know today – at the ballot box. When they don’t get what they want through this method, they will choose a different method next time - and I don’t mean necessarily the next election; maybe the one after that…eventually it may not even be via ballot box.
“Would not those same forces be at work had Hillary prevailed?”
Many of them, yes. But many important ones, no. If Hillary won, would Washington be the circus it has been for the last six months – with half of the republicans also stabbing at Trump? Would the US be as discredited to the world as much as it has been under Trump? The US government is exposed as a complete laughingstock to the world – thanks to Trump winning.
Do you think the complete dysfunctionality of the US government that has been brought to the surface because of the Trump win will cause China, Russia and Europe to draw closer to a centralized system?
Trump was certain to do many of the same bad things that Hillary would have done – I had hope specifically about Russia being the one difference, nothing more.
But additionally it was clear that Trump – both the man and the idea behind the man – was going to accelerate the destruction of US standing in the world.
It was also clear that Trump – both the man and the idea behind the man – made evident the tremendously deep divide within the US.
All that is left is the fall. Trump – the idea – has made clear that it is closer than we might have thought internally; Trump – the reality – has demonstrated to the world that the US is crazy (in their PC-acceptable definition of the term).
Mike, I shouldn't have used the word "nonsense." I meant to take it out after reading your sentence more carefully, but got caught up with other aspects of my reply...and then forgot.
DeleteSorry about that - you have been civil and I failed to reply in kind.
If there is one thing we have learned about Obama...he has not a scintilla of backbone.
DeleteBM, no offense taken.
DeleteToday, aside from conferring with two clients, all I have done is left nasty messages for my wife, my best buddy, and my brother (all Trump voters) and made numerous posts on-line. Well, I also just watched Shane-and cried my eyes out.
My guess is that you and even UC would appreciate me turning to a movie like Shane to distract myself. Of course, the problem is that too many of us conflate what Shane did with making the world safe for democracy.
Liberty Mike
I wonder if all of the Christian Trump supporters who were willing to overlook the unholy behaviors of the Trumpster will overlook the fact that at least 10% of those being bombed are Christian or at least not Islamic.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Trump knows this? I hope that he doesn't.
Two prior Trump tweets regarding Syria for your enjoyment:
ReplyDelete" AGAIN, TO OUR VERY FOOLISH LEADER, DO NOT ATTACK SYRIA – IF YOU DO MANY VERY BAD THINGS WILL HAPPEN & FROM THAT FIGHT THE U.S. GETS NOTHING!"
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 5, 2013
"What will we get for bombing Syria besides more debt and a possible long term conflict? Obama needs Congressional approval."
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 29, 2013
I'm shocked, SHOCKED, I tell you!
Whats that song with the line: "New boss, same as the old boss? "Won't Get Fooled Again" was it? :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHhrZgojY1Q
Oh, but you will "get fooled again", [seems to me].
The hollow outrage, what a frickin' laugh :-)
Regards, onebornfreeatyahoo
"(CNN) The United States launched a military strike Thursday on a Syrian government target in response to their chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of civilians earlier in the week." In this sentence, to what does "their" refer? "target" is singular. "Syrian government" modifies "target." "United States" was plural before the Civil War, but nowadays mainly is singular; and in any case, CNN would be the last source to suggest a pre-Civil War meaning. This is typical sloppy journalism we suffer from nowadays. Not even "fake news."
ReplyDeleteThe most disappointing thing is that Trump chose to bomb a foreign country simply because he saw "some pictures of dead kids" on the TV. So he now believes the mainstream media and the deep-state "intel" agencies? OMG.
ReplyDeleteI cannot decide which is funnier- Trump's eating of his own words - the howls of indignation from all of the naive morons who thought he'd be any different from those who have preceded him - or perhaps the "Wait and see, Trump's playing a secret high level game" crowd.
ReplyDeleteHighly entertaining, either way. As Barnum famously said:" There's a sucker born every minute".
regards, onebornfreeatyahoo
United States and Russia moving toward war, with all of the risks - purposeful and accidental - associated; and you are gloating.
DeleteI used to view you as merely intellectually autistic. Now? You are one sick dude.
OBF, calm down.
DeleteThe choice was between someone that promised to do this, and someone that promised not to do this. Given this choice you choose the one that promises not to do it.
So Trump has betrayed us, and more importantly, betrayed himself. For that reason I call him 'the hollow president'. He is a shell that reigns but does not rule. Sad.
Matt, the point is that there was nothing in Trump's background to suggest that he was operating within a well conceived intellectual and philosophical framework of repudiating empire and neo-connery.
DeleteGiven his predisposition to lie, his history of flip-flopping and his decided anti-intellectual approach to addressing problems, why would any rational person accord any weight to his feints towards a more peaceful foreign policy?
Moreover, he did promise to destroy ISIS, throw away even more money on the military, and generally make the empire strong again.
Liberty Mike
Hey, Liberty Mike.
DeleteTrump only became a politician recently. He doesn't have a history of flip-flopping so I don't know what you are talking about. Yes, I realize that Trump isn't working from an ideological framework, but his opposition to war in Syria has been consistent over several years. Then over a 48 hour period he did a 180 degree turn and attacked Syria in an unprovoked surprise attack reminiscent of Pearl Harbor.
My objection above is to OBF's schadenfreude, which comes at the expense of those killed by Trump's attack.
Anyway, Trump is a war criminal and I would be happy to see him face justice along with George W. Bush, among others. Anything else?
Yes, Trump's 2013 tweets exhorting Obama to stay out of Syria plus his general comments about not antagonizing the Russians, his criticism of NATO and its financing would all appear to support the position, to some extent articulated by BM (if I am inaccurate, please correct me) and others, like you (same thing, if I am in error), that a Trump presidency, more than a Clinton presidency, would mean a better chance at peace, avoiding nuclear conflict with Russia, and scaling back the empire.
DeletePerhaps Trump's time in office will still yet prove to be one marked by an end to interventionism and a ratcheting back of the empire.
Other than some phony libertarians, I doubt that there are any serious libertarians, thick or thin, Hoppean or Hornbergerian, who would have argued that a Hillary presidency offered a better shot at peace and scale back of empire.
Almost all of us who read BM, Lewrockwell.com, Tom Woods, Ron Paul, and some of the alt-right authors, etc, abhor Hillary Rotten.
It is only natural to lock on to some form of hope and I do not quarrel with that. Its just that some of us have been befuddled by the fact that so many in our general camp both saw and did not see in Trump things we didn't see and saw.
Nonetheless, we must hang together and not allow ourselves to become roiled in conflict and recriminations or to gloat like OBF.
Liberty Mike
Mike, you are accurate in your depiction of my view. I wrote something on this several months ago - that I would not "dictate" what a good libertarian could or couldn't do when it came to Trump, or Trump vs. Clinton.
DeleteThe stakes (continued confrontation with Russia leading to war), in my mind, were too high for anyone to stand on a mountain and preach theory or even preach probability.
I hope I am wrong about the stakes.
Hey liberty Mike, count me out. Trump needed to tell us that our tax payers money and arms is going to help al Qaida in Syria behead Christians. I was under the impression that he was honest, and different from the Christianity hating leaders before him.
DeleteWasn't it supposed to be the House which prevented wars and foreign entanglements? That's where the spending and authorization lie: "The People's House".
ReplyDeleteThe reality? 95% and 97% incumbency rates for the house over the last two cycles. It has been 85% or more since 1964.
The reason? Well, maybe it's because people are prone to name-recognition. That would explain Trump, Arnold, Jesse, Clint, Sonny Bono (RIP), and Franken. They hear their local reps name all the time and pull the lever out of recognition.
OR maybe it's a not-my-rep syndrome, where all problems stem from other districts and states. Their guy's the good guy. Although how anyone in Arizona thinks McCain deserves anything but a padded cell...
OR maybe it's that most people are fine with whatever the heck their reps do, so long as they get a few hits of OPiuM (Other People's Money) each year.
If people were truly in desire for change, they'd primary their house reps. That's simply not happening. Hence, we have maintained an agenda that spans countless administrations, with just enough nitpicking to slot people into the left or right authoritarian flavors.
It's because nearly all institutions have been taken over by a very insolvent mechanism (The Power) of smoking mirrors that is held together by a very economically dependent populous who for the most part don't have a real understanding of Liberty.
ReplyDeleteI don't mean to sound so fatalistic, but the Web of Fiat Money and Mixed Economy Intervention is part of everyone's life. Think about it..what industry or profession that appears to be strong hasn't been manipulated by intervention of the economy, i.e. Licensing, Regulations, Subsidies, Non profit, etc. These aren't characteristics of a Free People.
This Power is Demonic and Other Worldly IMHO...forget Tyrannts, Barbarians and Warriors of the past...Well as Buford T. Justice I believe said..."Bank robbing is Babysh## compared to what these dudes did"
It's interwoven into the fabric of decency of Civilized Man..and is thus not given attention as the obvious Monster from your favorite horror flick.
Thanks BM...for your Deep Cuts for lack of a better term..regarding the World of State Craft or the Politic.
At least this bombing of Russia's ally, Syria, may silence the Democrats' Trump-is-Putin's-sock-puppet narrative. Attacking Syria without even a cursory investigation of the chemical attack is so at odds with the less truculent foreign policy that Trump had been repeatedly promising during his campaign that it makes one wonder if this is not some kind of a geo-strategic chess move on his part. Perhaps Trump can now enter into talks with Putin without being accused of treason by the crazed neocons of both parties.
ReplyDeleteThis is the best possible interpretation, yet where does this tactic lead? What happens the next time the neocons pipe up?
DeleteContinued aggression and antagonism is the only thing that will satisfy this cohort. They will always create another pretext for confrontation.
Trump's only legitimate weapon against this is to maintain the support of those who voted for him and others who want peace. He went a long way toward destroying this coalition with the bombings.
The US does not know how to deescalate a conflict. What you are seeing now is stage one. Stage two might be rigged weapons inspections even though Syria has already been cleared as not possessing chemical weapons - a repeat of Iraq. Total deja vu.
DeleteAlex Jones believes it is geopolitical strategizing.
DeleteHe says the Russians, Syrians, and the US had a secret meeting prior to the bombing to hash out a deal. I.E. The Syrians lose a few planes, Trump looks big in front of the chickenhox, and Russia can still call shots w Assad.
If that's true, then my heart goes out to the Syrian soldiers who died in the attack all for the sake of geo-political maneuvering. Im so blessed that Im no longer in the USMC. They have a battalion on the ground in Syria, who knows what will happen to them for a bit of geo-policy?
Josh, as I have mentioned - this is the best possible interpretation of these events.
DeleteYet, it gnaws at me. I do not feel solid enough in my views as to why this is so to write with any certainty as to why, but it does gnaw at me.
The things that come up when I think about this:
1) good cannot come from evil
2) Trump may win this battle but lose the war; in other words, what damage does this "secret strategy" do to his base and some of the not unimportant causes for which the base has rallied (and, I hope it need not be said, I do not agree with many of the causes)?
So, what does Trump do after he cuts the deal with Syria and Russia? McCain and Graham will hate him for cutting the deal and his base will hate him for lobbing cruise missiles.
Anyway, I put these preliminary thoughts out there - for you and any others reading this I welcome your feedback. I will probably write something along these lines but the stew needs more ingredients and more cooking time.
I was one the first supporter of Trump, I even paid him several times some contributions. I was militant in supporting him, and was upset at the appointment of Nikki Haley, and opposed the potential hiring of Bolton as sec. of State. Now, the black flag trick revealed to me that Trump either lied to fool me into voting for him, or caved in very fast to the forces of darkness of Ivanka/Kushner, neocons libturds.
DeleteI made statements like Trump could be the best president since JFK.
Its like you said in a previous post, he only wants to serve one term it seems (paraphrasing).
ReplyDeleteI agree its the best interpretation most likely but I never did like chess players whose primary strategy is to sacrifice pieces in order to make gains on the board.
Often times people play chess the way they would do in real life. With real people.
By the way BM I cant wait to see you're timeline of Trump's presidency, keep up the good fight Brother!
The timeline is up, see the tabs at the top of the page.
DeleteThank you.
The United managers in the field are to be punished. United needed seats, and they must raise the pride to inconvenient passengers. Whatever it take? Today, the board of directors would wish that United should have offered that doctor a million dollar to leave that seat.
ReplyDelete