Come On
What Did You Expect?
I can barely spell Houthi. I am guessing I am not the only one who has to Google the location of the Red Sea. I confess I am not willing to spend a lot of time and effort understanding how the conflict between Israel and Hamas gives rebels based in Yemen cover and grace for attacking ships transiting the Red Sea.
I am a little better at understanding the almost inevitable, and highly regrettable, revelation of yet one more disasterous aspect of implementing the Project 2025 playbook.
The Heritage Foundation identified and Trump nominated a group of unqualified and supercilious dingbats for leadership positions in our national security network. Under Mitch McConnell’s influence, the Senate approved them. These Trump loyalists took oaths as a condition for accessing the awesome powers of their particular office. They promised to be true to the law of the land and to keep our country safe from threats internal and external. Then, on 24 Mar 25, their loose handling on 15 Mar 25 of active attack plans against Houthi rebels became public knowledge.
They were revealed as a clear and present danger to the nature and fact of national security. They were unmasked as oath-breakers operating in a purposeful darkness intended to erase records of their actions. They were shown to be hiding from institutional oversight or public view. The governed could not consent to what could not be known. They could not be pursued or punished for their misconduct.
Self-Evident Truths
I have spent the last few days wrestling with the angel of willful ignorance. I am not winning. I also am not quitting the battle.
Self-evident truths for my generation include, but are not limited to, the following:
1. Loose lips sink ships.
2. Our government runs black ops off the books.
3. Anyone surprised by our ill-fated military adventures in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan had no appreciation of history or Chinese military strategies.
4. Hiding under a desk will not protect you from a nuclear bomb.
5. Food stored in a backyard survival vault has a shelf life of 25 years.
6. Elon Musk cannot be trusted to build a safe car or rocket.
7. Donald John Trump is a lousy choice for a loyalty pledge.
8. It is not nice to try to fool, or wise to try to ignore, Mother Nature
9. Love knows no season or reason.
10. Hope springs eternal.
11. Freedom is as important as air, water, and shelter.
12. Hate and avarice, like death and taxes, just are.
13. Guns don’t kill people. Bullets do.
14. Politicians only rarely are responsible and responsive to those who elected them to office. Money talks. Everything else walks.
15. Screwing with entitlement programs ain’t smart.
Signs of Life
Before acceding to ransom demands, it is standard negotiating practice to require proof of life of the kidnapped loved one. There were howls of surprise and outrage following disclosure of Michael Waltz’s regrettable attempts to hide 10 calendar days of high-level chats about the Red Sea Caper—which did contemplate extortion demands of allies benefited by the clearing of sea lanes. Our willful ignorance led us to this moment. Take responsibility for it. Own the tragic moment. Work to correct the problem.
As to signs of congressional life—Into the breach rushed Representative Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.). He filed a long-shot bill to criminalize the sharing of classified information through unsecured messaging systems like Signal. This bill ponies off existing legislation prohibiting and punishing unauthorized circulation of military secrets considered essential to national safety and security. The simple title for this proposed legislation is the "HOUTHI PC SMALL GROUP Act. The only thing more fun, useless, and revealing is its full title--"Homeland Operations and Unilateral Tactics Halting Incursions: Preventing Coordinated Subversion, Military Aggression and Lawless Levies Granting Rogue Operatives Unchecked Power." I dearly love the designation of Trump’s loyalists as “rogue operatives.”
Dance with Who Brung Ya
Cinderella still has time for a few more waltzes in the arms of Prince Charming.
Let us enjoy them.
Plant a victory garden. Take a walk in the Spring sunshine. Wonder at the glory and promise of each emerging form, color, and scent in the lawns and fields along your route. Smile at a stranger. Wave at a car. Pet a willing leashed dog.
And take advantage of opportunity provided by the Signal Chat Snafu to deny, delay, disarm, dismantle, and destroy the implementation of Project 2025.
Midnight may never come. Our resistance may reset the hands of the Doomsday Clock to a happier position.
Let us pull up our socks and step into the breach now, every Power of One person dissatisfied with the results and consequences of Election 2024. Let us put into play our persons and our purses to demand:
1. A return to positions of principle those persons, institutions, and organizations betraying a public trust in their integrity when bending a knee, kissing the ring, funding the personal wealth, or furthering the ambitions of Donald John Trump.
2. The bringing of criminal charges against Musk and articles of impeachment against Trump.
3. Referendum and recall of congressional representatives not faithful to their oath of office and/or responsive to the concerns and wishes of their constituents.
4. Creation of a Shadow Cabinet charged with daily briefings of administrative assaults upon the rule of law, the health, safety, and welfare of We the People, and simple decency.
Go, team, go.
How much fun was gathering the bullet points for that wonderful list?!!
Susan--I love the clarity, reality, and immediate actions totally possible by me, the individual, in concert with nature and people in my community who value kindness more than revenge. Your article is the excellent "play by play" coverage that comes from lived experience. The many other articles I read, the rest of today are called "color commentary" which is a nice way of saying they say nothing different and use more words. Smart money would look at your article first before jumping into another day of writing.