THE SHORT ROAD TO WAR
Before a war erupts, it is a thought in the minds of men. That thought is then sent into the world through words, threats, and ultimately commands. Then the horror begins. This world is armed with enough nuclear weapons to literally destroy the planet, and if that doesn’t scare you enough, consider this quote that has traveled down through the years (I was unable to find who authored it): “Man has never invented a weapon that he didn’t ultimately use.”
The man who occupies the White House has apparently thought about war for a while. During his campaign he questioned why we have nuclear weapons if we aren’t going to use them. He claimed to know more about military strength than generals who have been in the military half their lives. This man, who dodged the draft, whose knowledge of history is embarrassingly lacking, whose thoughts are a dark tangle of narcissistic musings, who plays the perpetual victim mired in paranoia, who lies incessantly, and who is incapable of keeping his mouth shut, is leading us into a war with North Korea. He began with “fire and fury” and is now onto “locked and loaded.” It’s like watching a Clint Eastwood wanna-be, except the consequences of Trump’s I’m-so-tough game could lead to annihilation.
There are differing theories on how stable Kim Jong-un is; his secrecy allows people to fill in the blanks. But we know this: Kim Jong-un likes bluster and bullying as much as Donald Trump does. He has told the North Korean people that they need to go without food and often electricity because money must be spent on weapons to defend the country from the United States. Donald Trump is now playing right into that scenario.
Words are never inconsequential, particularly when bandied about on the world stage between two unreliable bullies with nuclear weapons between them. It’s remarkable to me that Congress has been so silent this past past week. They clearly take their vacation time very seriously, but aren’t they supposed to still represent America, even in August?
It’s always fascinating to see what leaders do who are placed onto the world stage at the same time. My father and Gorbachev created a more peaceful relationship between America and Russia because, on that stage, in the spotlight of history, they relied on the better angels of their nature. Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un may never have become acquainted with their own better angels; they might not even know they exist. The sound the rest of us hear is the angels in Heaven weeping over the foolishness of men.
Trump is a disgrace to all who served in the Oval Office, before him.
There’s no filter in him, and that’s totally frightening.
Presidents Reagan, Nixon, Lincoln, and Washington all understood the horrors of war. They also understood the power of “talk”. Our current “president” understands neither. He is operating as if the leader of North Korea is a contestant on his reality show. Excerpt in this scenario, the word “fire” doesn’t just mean you’re off the show, it means millions of people are going to be off the planet.
We’ll put.
Beautifully worded Patti. Thank you. Though I have folks who tell me that I should have faith in the checks and balances system of our government, so far I have seen no actions by anyone in Washington that would make faith a feasible option. I have never been more frightened.
Amen
How beautifully succinct and stated, Patti. Einstein wrote to FDR urging him to invest in creating the Atomic Bomb, knowing then, that if we failed to build one, the Germans would beat us to it; truer words… As we look to our current world, and the idiocy of Trump’s ignorance when questioning the reason for having atomic power, unless it was meant to be used, he demonstrated a dangerous lapse in historical judgement and political treaties. We have them as deterrents now, and because we created them, not to use them. We have never been closer to annihilating the world, and it rests in the hands of two idiotic and sick ignorant men, and I think this piece captured the essence of these points perfectl, Patti.
Yes, this is an unprecedented, frightening time. We need Trump out of the White House ASAP.
Always well said Patti…
“Nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought…My dream is to see the total abolition of nuclear weapons from the face of the earth”.–President Ronald Reagan.
[…] reality TV. Davis warns of this march to war by a madman who occupies the Oval Office. “Before a war erupts, it is a thought in the minds of men. That thought is then sent into the world through words, […]