A conversation about what's going on in the world at any given point in time…and what I think about it. Occasionally, guest bloggers may appear. Viewer comments are welcome. Peace! Alpha Heel
I haven’t heard of anyone who wants to keep the war going, except perhaps Iran, which, Mr. Trump’s assertions, notwithstanding, has shown little if any interest in conceding. Now, I am not saying the President of the United States is being untruthful, despite media reports that he made over 30K false or misleading statements during his first administration. Rather, I am suggesting you should consider the source, and draw your own conclusions. Just remember, this is the same dude who claimed back in July that he had totally obliterated Iran’s nuclear capabilities, only to say a few weeks ago, “he had a feeling” Iran was with a couple of weeks of launching a preemptive strike. “This War Has Been Won: Really?”
P.S. There was a Special Election in Florida yesterday. In an ironic twist, the District which includes Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home flipped from Red to Blue. In what some might consider an even bigger irony, the leader of the Voting-by-Mail is anathema brigade, Donald J. Trump (in case you’re wondering), voted…by mail. The same guy who directly called Mail-in-Voting, Mail-in-Cheating. Go figure.
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So, Donald Trump and the MAGA Movement made famous the retort, Eff (you know the word) your feelings. The underlying premise being, Democrats in general, and liberals in particular, never have the facts on their side. They simply make pronouncements, based upon their ever-present feelings. Before going any further, I must note, Trump and MAGA are the perennial Kings of projection. In other words, they assess their faults and short-comings, and rush to blame “the other side” for doing the deed they have not only participated in, but often perfected…raised to an artform.
So, it is patently rich, when Trump and the eff your feelings crew, boldly announce that the President launched a pre-emptive strike on Iran because, hold my beer, he had a feeling. Not only that; then Mrs. Leavitt, his official Town Crier echoes his pronouncement, underscoring and illuminating the fidelity of his eff’n feelings.
But let’s add some context. Trump’s feelings games is not a Johnny-come-lately kind of thing.
Six years ago this week, as Americans were starting to come to terms with the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, Donald Trump said he didn’t believe the World Health Organization’s assessment on fatality rates. To support his contention, the president pointed to nothing in particular.
“This is just my hunch,” he said.
Just weeks later, Trump touted ineffective COVID treatments that had no scientific merit. Asked about his rationale, the president told reporters, “I feel good about it. That’s all it is. Just a feeling. You know, I’m a smart guy.”
His “feelings” proved wrong, of course, but the rhetoric offered a peek into a ridiculous perspective: Trump, a former television personality and the least experienced president in American history, not only has a great many hunches, but he also has an unnerving habit of assuming his hunches are true and as a result, subsequently acting on them.
Suffice it to say, Trump’s feelings surfaced anew last Wednesday.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said last Wednesday that President Donald Trump made the decision to strike Iran because he ‘had a good feeling that the Iranian regime was going to strike’ U.S. assets and personnel in the region.
The Trump administration has said that U.S. faced imminent threats from Iran, which necessitated the strikes that began early Saturday before last. The U.S. has not, however, communicated specific intelligence or information beyond the fact Iran possesses ballistic missile capabilities, as it has for years.
When pressed further, Leavitt suggested the President acted on his feelings.
“This decision to launch this operation was based on a cumulative effect of various direct threats that Iran posed to the United States of America, and the president’s feeling, based on fact, that Iran does pose an imminent, direct threat to the United States of America,” she told reporters.
The press secretary’s comments are unlikely to inspire greater confidence in the unpopular conflict, but they were part of a bigger picture. As an analysis in The New York Times explained:
In a meeting inside the Oval Office with the German Chancellor Tuesday, President Trump offered a brief moment of insight into his decision-making process on the most consequential of matters: whether to take the country to war.
His decision to order the attack on Iran was mostly a matter of gut instinct about Iranian intentions.
“We were having negotiations with these lunatics, and it was my opinion that they were going to attack first,” Trump said, adding, “I think they were going to attack first, and I didn’t want that to happen.”
A normal American president, before launching a war, might consult with the National Security Council, among others. The incumbent president, however, appears to prefer his gut, which wouldn’t be quite so terrifying if (a) he had some idea what he was talking about; and (b) we weren’t talking about matters of life and death. “Feelings: That Old White Magic!”
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U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War spanned 20 years; from 1955 to 1975.The two decades-long conflict spurred numerous protest songs, none more poignant and in-your-face that the mononymously-titled “War,” a song Norman Whitfield and Barret Strong wrote for the Motown Label in 1969. The song was a clear anti-Vietnam War statement, The Temptations were the original vocalists, But the song, released in 1970, was so popular, the Label received a barrage of requests for it to be released as a single.
Motown deciding to split the baby, opted to have Whitfield produce a version with Charles Edwin Hatcher, commercially known as Edwin Starr, doing the vocals. The Label chose not to release the Temptation’s version as a single because they feared it would alienate the Group’s conservative fan base. Meanwhile, as a single, Starr’s version of War rose to Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1970. It was not only the most popular song in Starr’s career, but it was also one of the most popular protest songs ever recorded. Over 30 years later, it was one of 161songs on the no-play list issued by Clear Channel following the events of September 11, 2001.
Fast forward another 25 years, and I am offering the song as an anti-ode to the “No New Wars” President. No one could be more deserving.
War, huh, yeah What is it good for? Absolutely nothing, uhh War, huh, yeah What is it good for? Absolutely nothing Say it again, y’all War, huh (good God) What is it good for? Absolutely nothing, listen to me, oh
War, I despise ‘Cause it means destruction of innocent lives War means tears to thousands of mother’s eyes When their sons go off to fight And lose their lives
I said, war, huh (good God, y’all) What is it good for? Absolutely nothing, just say it again War (whoa), huh (oh Lord) What is it good for? Absolutely nothing, listen to me
It ain’t nothing but a heart-breaker (War) Friend only to The Undertaker Oh, war it’s an enemy to all mankind The thought of war blows my mind War has caused unrest Within the younger generation Induction then destruction Who wants to die? Oh
War, huh (good God y’all) What is it good for? Absolutely nothing Say it, say it, say it War (uh-huh), huh (yeah, huh) What is it good for? Absolutely nothing, listen to me
It ain’t nothing but a heart-breaker (War) It’s got one friend that’s The Undertaker Oh, war, has shattered many a young man’s dreams Made him disabled, bitter and mean Life is much too short and precious To spend fighting wars each day War can’t give life It can only take it away, oh
War, huh (good God y’all) What is it good for? Absolutely nothing, say it again
War (whoa), huh (oh Lord) What is it good for? Absolutely nothing, listen to me
It ain’t nothing but a heart breaker (War) Friend only to The Undertaker, woo Peace, love and understanding, tell me Is there no place for them today? They say we must fight to keep our freedom But Lord knows there’s got to be a better way, oh
War, huh (God y’all) What is it good for? You tell me (nothing) Say it, say it, say it, say it
War (good God), huh (now, huh) What is it good for? Stand up and shout it (nothing)
Not long ago, (June 21, 2025), Donald Trump said the U.S. had “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities. Let’s hear it for “Operation Midnight Hammer.” He went on to boast it would take years for them to re-group and make nuclear threats and mischief (and that’s not a quote) again. But wait, merely 8 months later, February 28, 2026, Trump Greenlit “Operation Epic Fury” attacking Iran’s missile infrastructure. The stated objective for this attack was to destroy military capabilities and prevent the development of nuclear weapons. On its face, this would seem odd. But only if you believed the facilities had been “totally obliterated” in June. Just to be clear, I did not believe it for a moment. “War: What Is It Good For?”
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Before launching into any discourse about the so-called Epstein Files, it’s important to ask, How did we get here?
Without question, the direct, uncomplicated answer is, a very powerful and influential man sexually abused and trafficked underage girls. Jeffrey Epstein, the man in question, reached a plea deal and served 18 months in a Florida county jail for solicitation of a minor. However, a decade later, he was arrested again in July 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges and was subsequently found to have died by suicide in a New York jail while awaiting trial.
As is the case with most things in life, there is another much more textured and nuanced (story) answer. First, the nexus between a stint in a Florida county jail and awaiting adjudication on federal charges in a New York jail was precipitated by the recognition that for reasons not fully revealed, Epstein received a sweetheart deal in 2008. The long overdue, but inexorable pursuit of justice resulted in the matter being revisited, and as noted above, in Epstein being re-arrested.
This is where it gets peculiarly political, or politically peculiar, take your pick. For more than a decade, numerous right wing conspiracy theories have attempted to tie Democrats, most prominently Bill Clinton, to Epstein, but more importantly, also to his crimes.
Second, that is where we get the gist, not only of how we got here, but of what should most assuredly come next.
Last week, MAGA finally had its politically orgasmic moment. Both Bill AND Hillary Clinton testified on successive days before the Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee on their relationship with Epstein. The closed-door depositions in Chappaqua, New York, the hometown of Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton, came after months of tense back-and-forth between the high-powered Democratic couple and the Republican-controlled Committee.
Executing these depositions has for years been the DEFCON 1, nuclear option scenario that conservatives in general, and MAGA in particular, dreamed of carrying out. The long and short of it is, Hillary testified for 6 hours and said that she did not know, had never met, and had never interacted with Epstein, and moreover that she had shared that information on the record, many times, including with the House Oversight Committee members. For his part, Bill testified for 6 hours about his relationship with Epstein, noting he never saw anything wrong, that he never participated in any wrong-doing, and that he wasn’t aware of any wrong-doing. The Committee Chair, James Comer and other Republicans on the Committee said after Bill Clinton’s deposition that the former President answered or attempted to answer all the questions posed to him, minus a few for which he could not recollect specific details.
It’s important to illuminate these specific truths. One, Bill’s name appears in the Epstein files. Two, numerous photos document Clinton and Epstein together on a number of occasions. Three, none of the above, nor any other evidence accused Bill Clinton of criminal activity. Yet, the subcommittee, insisted both Clintons appear before the committee, despite opting not to invite, request, or demand an appearance by a number of Republicans whose names also appear in the files.
Be it political, or merely peculiar, that is indicative of the cultural and social space we currently occupy. It’s expected that Republicans, especially those informed and spurred by Trump, and polling consistently shows that includes most of them, are going to consistently and exuberantly stick it to Democrats and show them in the worst light possible…if possible. That effort is energized exponentially, if the Democrats in question happen to be named Clinton.
The Clintons attempted submit their responses in writing, rather than appear in person. The subcommittee rejected their request and subpoenaed them when it seemed likely they would not otherwise show up.
It is often said, “He who has the gold makes the rules.” Having control of all three branches of government, the Trump regime has operated as though that premise is its North Star. Alrighty.
As I wind down this post, there are two stupendously important points that simply must not be overlooked. It was conservatives, Republicans, the right wing and MAGA that fueled the unquenchable thirst to get to the bottom of the Epstein saga, and it was Trump’s Attorney General Pam Bondi, in an interview with Fox News’ Jesse Watters, who said in February 2025, more than a year ago, the Epstein Files were on her desk, and significant information would be released the following day. Suffice it to say, here we are a year later, and millions of files have yet to be released, and of the ones that have been released, many victims’ information was left unredacted, while many potential perpetrators information was redacted. WTF?
So Therefore, I humbly submit, it is only fitting that if and when Democrats secure a majority in either or both Houses of Congress, they should issue an invitation that cannot be refused, to Donald and Melania, to appear and discuss their knowledge of all things Epstein. I can’t think of anything more apropos than to hear, under oath, from the individual whose name appears in the files more than anyone not named Epstein or Maxwell…so we are told. Am I right? “Epstein Files: The Definitive Assessment!”
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BREAK IT DOWN! 