
Donald Trump's pathetic betrayal of our Kurdish allies in northern Syria highlights the importance of Congress taking seriously it's constitutional obligation to define and authorize war. Not only has Trump moved US forces out of the region and turned it over to Russia and Syria, but he has also moved US forces into Saudi Arabia to help them with a potential war against Iran and to support their ongoing genocidal bombing campaign of Yemen. The Constitution gives to Congress the sole power to authorize war. Congress has not use this authority since World War II, a complete and cowardly surrender of their own power for nearly four generations. It's time for Congress to seriously debate what's going on in the Middle East and explicitly authorize or de-authorize our participation in warfare in the region.
-Thom
Sorry for a long rant shouting into the wind, but Trump really needs to be fired as soon as possible for the good of the nation and the world, either through impeachment or by losing the election twelve interminable months away. Deep down, we all know that in a true democratic republic in a sane world everyone should be shouting from the rooftops by now. There's ample evidence of his unstable idiocy, and it's getting downright dangerous.
That Trump's foreign affairs dalliances would be horribly immoral and dysfunctional on every level and on every front was inevitable and completely predictable to anyone paying attention even a little bit. How could you miss the obvious clues given his long history as a horribly corrupt financial and sexual predator, fake businessman, bankruptcy king, and tax dodger, who gladly stiffed anyone dumb enough to rely on his worthless word?
And now, his military foolhardiness and cowardice have directly led to the savage ethnic cleansing of one of our staunchest and bravest allies who successfully beat back our most intractable enemy.
Yes, you idiot, there was a "quid pro quo," this one vital and legitimate, unlike your ridiculous Ukraine fiasco that was nothing but a mob-like shakedown for personal gain of a vulnerable country fighting off Russians -- foreign policy at its most corrupt. In this deal, by contrast, the Kurds needed "the land" to regain their homeland, free of brutal dictators, a reasonable and necessary goal; and we needed to contain ISIS, a reasonable and necessary goal. It was a good deal, it worked, and it wasn't that complicated.
Whatever side they're on or whether they agree, every world player with skin in the game at least understands the basics, apart from Trump the Child King living in his demented fantasy. (Here, and here.)
Even more repulsive is that Generalissimo Trump arrogantly took credit for the Kurds' hard-won battlefield successes before he erased in one fell swoop years of strategic gains against ISIS that we achieved together as brothers in arms. The Kurds have always been an important part of the equation in the Middle East; yet, no one wants to remember that these stateless people, yearning for their own autonomy, were arbitrarily and unfairly written off the maps after the great, so-called "War to End War."
It's as if their century-long struggle, heartfelt democratic aspirations, and 40 million lives don't matter at all, nor does the 11,000 dead and 23,000 wounded in just the last five years, fighting our ground war against our enemies who, we know full well, will do everything possible to find a way into our cities to blow up our civilians!
That's just the latest hard reality as a result of the militaristic adventurism of Dubya and his evil minder Darth Cheney, who chased after oil and money and total world dominance, as overly privileged neocons are wont to do.
These endless, intertwined Middle East wars were sparked by the last village idiot. And now we have to find a way out -- the smart way! This is not the smart way. We need solid allies on the world stage to help win conventional as well as asymmetrical warfare. Wise diplomacy is the key to lasting peace, but this fake president has broken so many treaties, it's hard to keep count.
Tragically, we have betrayed the Kurds many times in the past before Trump, but this one is particularly disturbing with all the doublespeak to hide culpability. Can we still believe our own eyes and ears? Are we in George Orwell's dystopia yet?
Our handshake has become a sad joke in diplomatic circles. Thanks to a proudly racist Trump, who could care less about sh*thole countries, one of the worst powder kegs on the planet just blew up in our faces into yet another potential genocidal atrocity that could mirror Yemen if the Russians don't stop it, which doesn't exactly inspire confidence.
The Russians again. Really?
More than likely, this major military and diplomatic blunder is primarily due to the Trump crime family's huge self-dealing financial interests in Turkey, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and God knows where else. Although, maybe Nancy Pelosi, the Southern District of New York, and the People (Remember us?) will soon find out if the universe is just.
Seriously, who in their right mind can trust the United States of Meerkkka after this absolute betrayal for no good reason? Next year could be the last chance for the American electorate to get it right and rebel against Dear Leader and fascism.
This is what happens when you hand a gun to a malignant narcissistic sociopath who is too stupid to know how to use it, where to point it, or even why. Republicans should have performed an extensive background check on this looney-toon jerk long before they voted in the 2016 general election. He was a nutjob from way back. Out of seventeen primary candidates, they picked this guy?!
Once again, in our hopelessly polarized two-party system, Democrats are stuck trying to clean up another hopeless Republican mess, if that's even possible this time around. Dead is dead.
If they themselves are still alive and haven't changed their wicked ways by this late date for humankind, then this national mortal sin will be on the souls of the 62,984,828 know-nothings who lost the popular vote in 2016 by a whopping 3 million yet were undemocratically anointed the winners by a sliver of a margin -- 70,000 votes in only three states: Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, thanks to the anachronistic Electoral College devised during the slave era.
That is not a mandate from the People! So yeah, looking at it that way, Trump is an illegitimate buffoon who shamelessly conned barely enough gullible Americans out of their precious votes in key swing districts with major help from the Russian military at Putin's command, our strategic enemy who targeted our election system, the beating heart of democracy.
Trump committed and is still committing many obvious impeachable offenses right out in the open -- a laughable if not shocking spree of criminal and unconstitutional behavior (take your pick) that will go down in the political annals of the first century of the 3rd millennium, forevermore etched into human memory. Reality-challenged Republicans should actually read the Mueller Report instead of whining about it. Just the facts, ma'am.
Those of us accused of "hating" Trump are naturally repulsed by an evil clown with a fat sweaty face and bared teeth and tongue snarling out lies and obscenities. "Disgust" is a more accurate description of the negative feelings constantly generated by this petty little man.
No, the "Trump Derangement Syndrome" is a fascistic psychosis of the wingnuts on the right fringe of the political spectrum, projected onto anyone who dares to point it out. Most psychologically healthy human beings are rightfully disgusted by such abhorrent behavior.
The highest purpose of the highest office, regardless of the head clown banging his fists and drooling on the Resolute Desk, is "to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution" -- the People's interests rather than personal interests, which would be the abuse of power our forefathers feared.
So, has Big Daddy's bloc of low-information voters learned their lesson yet? Hahaha! Not according to their maniacal denials to date. Guess we'll find out next year for damn sure just how suicidal Trump's Kool-Aid cult, i.e., the Republican Party, actually is.
What a country! This could be fun; this could be bad. See ya at the MAGA rallies and riots...