By Michael Woyton
Congress isn’t earning its keep. There are always complaints about “do-nothing” Congresses, but this one takes the cake.
This Congress hasn’t declared war on Iran.
You know what else this Congress hasn’t done? It hasn’t officially approved changing the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War.
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Sure, there was an executive order signed by president donald j. felon*, but you know, that doesn’t make it for real.
What really is “for real” is that we are in a state of war with a country in the Middle East because the adjudicated rapist and accused pedophile is trying to get all of us to ignore that he is not interested in being president of a democracy, has no hard and fast policies and is — checks the stock market — in the process of tanking the economy.
A week ago the national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline was $2.951, according to AAA. Yesterday, it was $2.997 and today the average price is $3.109.
In New York, today’s average price is $3.040, up 3.5 cents from yesterday.
Sure, this is the time of year that seasonal gas prices start to creep up, what with spring break around the corner.
But according to CNBC, Iran has reportedly closed the Strait of Hormuz and has said it will target vessels trying to move through the waterway.
That makes oil producers raise their prices, and there goes the jump at the pump.
All of this must be part of some grand plan on behalf of the administration, right?
How would we know?
The so-called leader of the free world still hasn’t addressed the nation or, for that matter, Congress to lay out his plan for the war in Iran.
According to talking points sent out by the White House to its GOPmaga faithful, if anyone asks if the United States is at war with Iran, the answer should be “The President announced major combat operations against Iran with clear achievable goals.”
So not “war,” but major combat operations — that’s the reason we have lost six of our soldiers — so far.
Those suggestions from the wannabe king allow shining stars of the Senate such as Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who serves on the Armed Services Committee, to get on the TV machine and say before god and everybody watching CNN, “This isn’t a war” because “we haven’t declared war.”
Are you sure you should be on a committee that oversees the armed services if you can’t tell that what is going on in the Middle East right now is a war?
Even the “Secretary of War” Pete Kegseth calls it a war, Markwayne.
Then again, maybe it’s really a Holy War.
An independent journalist named Jonathan Larsen said that more than 110 complaints were lodged over a two-day period alleging that senior officers were calling the war on Iran “‘part of ‘God’s divine plan,’ with claims that US President Donald Trump was ‘anointed by Jesus’ to spark Armadeddon,” The Cradle reported.
The soldiers making the complaints were in more than 40 units across at least 30 military sites, with soldiers telling the Military Religious Freedom Foundation “that commanders are describing the Iran campaign as divinely ordained and tied to the Book of Revelation.”
The complainants included at least 11 Christians, one Muslim and one Jew who “described the remarks as ‘so toxic and over the line’ that they shocked those present.”
More disturbing was the report that all of the complaints said there was “unrestricted euphoria of their commanders” who saw the war as “biblically-sanctioned” and a sign that the “End Times” were coming.
It all shouldn’t be surprising that this line of thought would surface during an administration with an inexperienced war-mongering former TV host defense secretary who wrote a book called “American Crusade,” that called for American Crusaders to push back against Islamists.
That same defense secretary has a tattoo on his bicep that reads “Deus Vult,” or “God Wills It.”
Combine that with presidential advisor President Stephen Miller whose white nationalism is driving the second term of an easily distractible authoritarian interested only in enriching himself and getting even with enemies.
That’s quite the roadmap to planetary apocalypse.
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* I’m following what the wannabe king declared on social media that he will only refer to the Supreme Court in lowercase because he has a complete lack of respect for them after the illegal tariffs ruling.
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Lead art: screen grab from LiveNOW from FOX via YouTube.
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