Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth thinks the United States can fight a war with China and win. In my lifetime, the United States has lost numerous wars against lesser enemies. Yet, Hegseth thinks the U.S. can defeat an enemy that is its equal, and in some instances, its superior.
Does it surprise anyone that our predator-in-chief is thinking about pardoning Diddy — another sexual predator and all-round perverse man?
Former President Joe Biden says he can physically whip Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, the authors of the book Original Sin. Sure, Joe, sure. Take a lesson from former President George W. Bush, and fade into the background of life. Get treatment for your cancer and enjoy what days you have left with Jill and your family. Trying to convince the public that what they saw and heard in your debate with Trump is a waste of time. I speak for millions of Americans who thought due to your age and health, that you should only have been a one term president. And then your debate with the Orange King left no questions about whether we were right to ask/demand your resignation.
One Democratic insider recently said that Joe Biden was a better president for working class people than FDR. Really? You want us to believe that Biden in his four years of office accomplished more for working class people than Franklin Delano Roosevelt did during his sixteen year term?
As I predicted, Trump and his co-president Elon Musk had a falling out, and Musk has gone home to play with his toys, having not cut 1-2 trillion dollars from the federal budget as he promised he would do. He did, however, succeed in interjecting chaos into virtually every governmental agency. And he may be gone, but his chaos agents remain throughout the federal government.
It is startling how many conspiracies Trump buys into. Just today he re-messaged a message that claimed Joe Biden died in 2020 and was replaced with a clone. What’s next for a Trump? Believing he won the 2020 election or his dick is a foot long?
The sudden rise of AI and its widespread use by private businesses and public agencies scares the shit out of me. I am reminded of the words of Wendell Berry when he talked about the advancement of technology: “Just because we can do something doesn’t mean we should.”
The murderous Israeli genocide against the Palestinian people continues unabated. Scores of innocent civilians — including women, children, and babies — are killed almost every day, yet the United States and its N.A.T.O allies stand idly by as they sell Israel billions of dollars of offensive weaponry, while at the same time hypocritically praying for the “peace of Jerusalem.” As Thomas Merton said (loosely quoted), “War never brings peace. Only peace begets peace. War might bring a cessation of hostilities, but it will not bring peace.”
The United States is the largest arms seller in the world, with almost 50% of world sales to over 100 countries. Yet, many American political leaders say that we are a peaceful nation; that we only wage war when attacked or provoked. Our national C.V. suggests that we are a violent, bloody people who use our military might to advance our agenda — justified or not.
I added up all the odds of this or that killing me or giving me cancer, and I’ve concluded that I died in 1927.
Bonus: MAGA Republicans who currently control the Ohio legislature are trying to make it illegal for Ohio cannabis users to travel to Michigan to buy marijuana. Why do Ohio cannabis users drive to Michigan to buy blunts, gummies, and bulk marijuana, especially when there are dispensaries near their homes? Simple, Ohio’s cannabis products are 50-70% more expensive than Michigan’s.
Bruce Gerencser, 68, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 47 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
You can email Bruce via the Contact Form.
Unfortunately, I believe some type of conflict with Communist China is likely at some point in the future, due to their increasing aggression in the South China Sea towards the Phillipines, towards Taiwan and also in the border areas with India.
That said, I certainly think it would be foolhardy for the US to provoke a war with China. I believe it is reasonable to provide a countries like Taiwan and the Phillipines and even Vietnam with the means to defend themselves against Chinese aggression. Despite the euphemism, there is nothing “liberating” about the historical military actions of the Peoples Republic of China. At the same time, China is not Afghanistan or Iraq. The US attacking as the aggressor would be no better morally than China attacking us, and even victory would leave us battle scarred and damaged beyond repair for decades, if ever.
The older I get, the more tragic and foolish in general I believe war to be. It is destructive and never really resolves the underlying issues that caused conflict in the first place. Unfortunately, there are some instances where war was the only option, to stop Hitler for example. I think Putin is the same way, only hitting him back is going to stop his aggression. Dear Leader (the real one in North Korea, not our current one here) is another example. At the same time, the Hitlers and Putins of the world were created through circumstances that elevated them to power, specifically by making the populace of an industrialized nation feel powerless and demeaned.
I don’t believe Xi wants direct war with the US for the same reason most Americans don’t want war with the China, even a Chinese victory would be extremely costly and could result in a limited nuclear conflict. For all his bluster, I don’t think our Dear Leader Trump really wants war with China either. He just doesn’t have the intelligence to use the propaganda of confusion in the same way the Communist Chinese do. Most media outlets in the US will not help him carry his water, unlike the Chinese media, and Trump’s mouthpiece Hegseth is nothing but a well polished idiot.
As a Catholic, I certainly pray for peace, but prayer without action is generally ineffective. Reasonable people of all communities and beliefs must stand and say “no more” to not only war, but the attitudes and behaviors that cause war in the first place.
That well polished idiot who thinks a war with China is winable apparently discounts the immense suffering, loss of life, property, and treasure that would certainly accompany such a nonsensical conflict which likely would have no identifiable winners. That such a shallow lightweight is in such a position is alarming. At least he fits in perfectly with the rest of the Trump clown-car, populated with similar mediocrities. Perhaps he thinks, if he thinks at all, that he and his will survive such an unthinkable debacle. If he knew and understood history, he would realize that nuclear war would be the ultimate folly of the human race, potentially ending our existence on this planet.
Bruce: “It is startling how many conspiracies Trump buys into. Just today he re-messaged a message that claimed Joe Biden died in 2020 and was replaced with a clone.”
Zoe: Memories of mom telling me Hilary Clinton was dead, same with the then Queen and the then Pope. They were all replaced with imposters &/or clones.
And then I heard what Joni Ernst said re: we’re all going to die. I remember mom saying to me: Those people who are dying are suppose to die and were going to die anyway.
Exhausting.
I greatly appreciate the comment of John S.
I will comment on Trump and Musk, I agree Musk attacked parts of the federal government which would limit the ability of consumers to get problems fixed which are the actions of large companies. His attitude is ridiculous and self-serving. He also tried to hit NOAA, national oceanic and atmospheric administration, which does things like help weather prediction as well as many other things which protect the environment.
Both Trump and Musk thought they could find enemies in the federal government and get people hyped up about that. They have done no good. They have hurt employees of federal government which does no one any good. Contrary to their views, jobs in places like the government were more stable and therefore helped the people of the USA who live in the economy of the USA to have a more stable economy because it did not swing up and down as much as the regular economy. The one good the military has done when we are not fighting a war is provide stable jobs.
I do not understand this worship of the market economy. This seems to be the belief of most republican politicians. An economy is part of a society and would not exist if that society did not exist. It should be considered a part of society and used to benefit all the people in that society, not just the very rich
Thank you, Barbara!
I was just in China and few weeks ago, and I can tell you that the sentiment of the Chinese people is that Trump is a godsend for China on the global stage. They say Trump is Making China Great Again as the US alienated its allies, driving them straight into China’s arms. China is an incredibly advanced country – there’s no way the US coukd win a war against them. Plus, the US has few allies that would join Trump to oppose China and its allies. Europe no longer trusts the US, and Australia, S. Korea, and Japan are in geographic vulnerability to China. It’s suicide to provoke China. Latin America has strengthened ties with China as well, and Trump basically told Canada and Mexico to fuck off.
Drudge Report has a Dementia Watch every day on Trump, and I’m here for it. Biden and Trump both needed to go, and look what we’re stuck with because nobody convinced Old Joe to stick to one term, and Americans are incredibly sexust and racist, refusing to elect a woman of color. So we’re fucked.