Pete Hegseth Secretary Of Defense

CPAC And The Republican Future: Not Inspiring!

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The Republican Party is in deep trouble, as more Republicans are leaving Congress at the time of the Midterm Elections of 2026, and the alternatives to follow Donald Trump are not inspiring. This was demonstrated by the annual gathering of a right wing Republican group that was very lacking in excitement this past few days.

CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference). looking to the future, is divided between Vice President JD Vance with 53 percent support, down from last year’s 61 percent, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio gaining 35 percent, massively increased from last year’s 3 percent.

No one else is really in the running, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump Jr. each having 2 percent; and Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard each gaining 1 percent.

The gathering also backed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton overwhelmingly over Texas Senator John Cornyn by 67 percent to 21 percent, in the upcoming Senate Primary runoff, demonstrating how extreme and crazy CPAC’s reputation has become!

No member of the Trump family showed up, the first time in ten years!

Texas Democratic Senate Nominee James Talarico Threatened By Pete Hegseth Pastor Who Wishes His Death!

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In an extremely shocking development, the pastor who is the closest spiritual adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has called for the death of Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico by crucifixion, over the issue of his belief in the original teachings and beliefs of Jesus Christ, humanitarian Christianity, rather than the hardline right wing extremist view of White Christian Nationalists.

This should lead to the condemnation of this pastor for advocating violence, as this is not just a threat to Talarico, but to anyone who would challenge the hatred of Christian Nationalists.

Also, Pete Hegseth should, but will not, condemn this pastor as beyond the pale in his rhetoric.

How is this any different than those who condemn Islamic extremists who call for the death of those who refuse to accept the Muslim faith?

How is this any different than those extremist right wing Jews in Israel who advocate death and destruction of all Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza?

How is this different than those extremists in the Buddhist and Hindu faiths who advocate hatred, violence, and destruction against those who challenge extremist, nationalist rhetoric and actions?

James Talarico is an inspiring, dynamic young man who offers hope for advancement and love of true Christian values, but now he is in danger of some extremist deciding it is his mission to eliminate this Senate candidate, who offers a brighter future in American politics, if he is able to be successful in his quest for a Senate seat in Texas.

Clearly, Talarico will need sufficient security protection both now, and even more so, if he succeeds in his goal of serving his state in the US Senate.

This is a terrible tragedy, and very worrisome situation, and all decent people have to pray and hope for his safety!

Major Realities Of Iran War Hit Home!

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It is very clear that Donald Trump, Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio and others in the leadership of the US government did NOT carefully plan the attack on Iran.

They allowed the inexperienced real estate developers, Jared Kushner (Trump’s son-in-law) and Steve Witkoff, to make judgments on the seriousness, or supposed lack of it, of the Iranian diplomats they were negotiating with.

They failed to consider that Iran could block the Strait of Hormuz, creating an international crisis regarding oil and gasoline supplies, particularly causing harm to Asian allies, but also causing the greatest gasoline price crisis in many years for consumers in the United States. The entire international economy is affected by the US-Israeli war on Iran.

They failed to understand that when a nation is bombed, and mass casualities occur, it only stiffens the spine of that nation, as proved regularly in war, such as the Nazi bombing of the United Kingdom in World War II and the Al Qaeda September 11 attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in the United States.

It promotes nationalism, including even those who might oppose the particular government in any nation, but there is the “rallying around the flag” mentality.

They failed to understand that if one kills the top leader, no matter how much he might be hated by many, it only makes the next leader, particularly if related to the same family, even more willing to resist.

So we have the example that Ayatollah Khamenei was replaced by his son, and his son not only lost his father, but also his mother, his wife, and his son. So what would make one consider that the new Ayatollah would be willing to negotiate after such a heavy personal loss?

What Donald Trump and his top advisers have done is create a nightmare scenario, which now includes the strong likelihood that there will be terrorist attacks around the world, and particularly in the United States.

Desire for revenge will endanger all Americans, and particularly, the Jewish community, due to the alliance between Israel and the US on this decision to attack Iran.

Already, on Thursday, we saw attacks by terrorists on Virginia Commonwealth University and a Reform Jewish synagogue in Michigan, and more such threats are likely to occur.

But the answer is not to promote discrimination against Muslim Americans, just because some of their religious beliefs engage in terrorism.

Another horrendous reality is that civilian targets are being attacked, causing the deaths already of close to 200 children in Teheran, as well as attacks on historic and World Heritage sites that were never targets in past military conflicts.

So the long range implications of the Iran War are dire, to say the least!

Lowest Public Opinion Support Of Iran War Of Any War After One Week Of Conflict!

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Donald Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran has led to the lowest public opinion rating of support for any war since World War II.

Statistics show the following, according to a NY Times survey:

World War II 1941–97 percent
Afghanistan War 2001–92 percent
Persian Gulf War 1991–82 percent
Panama Intervention 1989–80 percent
Iraq War 2003–76 percent
Korean War 1950–75 percent
Vietnam War Escalation 1965-60 percent
Kosovo Intervention 1999–58 percent
Grenada Intervention 1983–53 percent
Libya Intervention 2011–47 percent
Iran War 2026–41 percent

With no plan, no clearcut understanding why diplomacy was abandoned by Donald Trump, Pete Hegseth, and Marco Rubio, America is now in a crisis of rising oil and gasoline prices, and lack of support from usual allies in wartime.

And Iran is now blockading the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of all oil worldwide is transported, a major crisis!

Emergence Of Anti Iran War MAGA Republicans Could Affect Midterm Elections Of 2026, And Presidential Election Of 2028!

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Now that the United States is in Week Two of the Iran War, and with the son of the late Ayatollah being annointed his successor, it seems clear that America is on the road to a long, massive, expensive, disastrous intervention in the Middle East, without any certainty of success, similar to the Iraq War and the Afghanistan War.

And opposition is starting to emerge, from many so called MAGA Republicans, against the military intervention, some of it openly, and some of it behind the scenes.

Openly critical individuals this early include:

Tucker Carlson
Steve Bannon
Marjorie Taylor Greene, former Congresswoman from Georgia
Thomas Massie, Congressman from Kentucky
Rand Paul, Senator from Kentucky

Behind the scenes, based on past views about military intervention, and support of “isolationism” expressed, would include the following:

Vice President JD Vance
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard

The latter two are being very quiet at this point, but their past record of viewpoints clashes with what Donald Trump, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and apparently, Secretary of State Marco Rubio are promoting.

So there could be a battle brewing for the future of the Republican Party, based on what happens in the midterms, and as the Republican Party starts to look at its future direction.

It is hard to imagine Vance openly breaking with his party and his “boss”, the President of the United States, but it is perceived by many that had Vice President Kamala Harris expressed more differences with her “boss”, Joe Biden, possibly, the result in the Presidential Election of 2024 might have been different.

If Vance was to “break” with Trump, he still would be Vice President, but it would encourage Marco Rubio, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida, and others to challenge him for the Presidential nomination in 2028.

Of course, IF Vance became President by succession, and therefore, would be a sitting President, it would be much more difficult for a rebellion by MAGA Republicans to succeed against him.

Most certainly, the future of the Republican Party with the upcoming Presidential Election of 2028, is very much a fluid situation, and very difficult to project what will occur down the road!

Major Political Split Emerging Regarding US-Israel War On Iran

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The decision of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu to wage war on Iran is causing a major political split.

The fact that Trump and his Cabinet did not consult with Congress up front and ask for backing through the War Powers Act of 1973;

that Trump has lied about the so called “imminent” threat Iran presented to American national security;

that Trump and his Cabinet chose not to be interviewed by news media this weekend after the first day of military action;

that Trump has totally reversed his former stand against getting involved in military interventions as a critic of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars in the past;

that anger is rising among the general public, as early polls show only 25 percent of those polled support the intervention;

that Trump seemed not to have much empathy about the loss of life of military personnel, when he personally avoided military service by claiming “bone spurs”;

all this and more is creating a major political crisis that is unlikely to go away anytime soon, and the prospect of greatly increased oil prices as a result of the widening Middle East War, with other nations in the area being drawn into it, adds to the complicated crisis.

Already, within his party, Trump has angered Kentucky Senator Rand Paul; Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie; former Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene who was a MAGA supporter, and also, commentator Tucker Carlson, and this is just the beginning, in less than 48 hours after the war has begun.

At the same time, while most Democrats are opposed to the war, some are supportive, causing a split in that political party as well, including

Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania
Congressman Jared Moskowitz of Florida
Congressman Tom Suozzi of New York
Congressman Greg Landsman of Ohio
Congressman Henry Cuellar of Texas

The fact that some Democrats are supportive of the war means when and if a War Powers Resolution comes up for a vote, it could undermine the ability to gain a majority of support for such action.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth made clear on Monday morning, the third day of the war, that there would be no holding back on the war effort, creating a likely constitutional crisis as Donald Trump and company pursue their goals in league with Israel, despite the fact that diplomacy was in process, and had not been given a full chance to work.

So the image of Donald Trump, “The Dove”, which caused many MAGA Republicans in the voting population to support him in 2024, is in tatters.

A major political division is likely to grow wider as the war continues, without any assurance of avoiding disarray in an area of the world notable for instability.

That only complicates the issue of what will happen politically in the Midterm Elections of 2026 and the Presidential Election of 2028.

And the announcement by Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom that the British government is not in support of the war, and believe in a negotiated settlement, is a stunning blow to the mission pursued by Trump and Netanyahu. It is highly unusual, that our closest ally in Europe would come out openly in the House of Commons and criticize and refuse support of the war effort.

Donald Trump has made clear in his press conference that there is the possibility of ground troops being sent into combat in the Middle East if that is seen as necessary.

So it seems potentially possible that America could be engaging in what will become a major long term conflict, similar to what occurred in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq, further dividing and complicating American politics in the near term and long term!

84th Anniversary Of Pearl Harbor: America In Great Danger Under An Incompetent And Unstable President!

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Today is the 84th Anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, which brought America into World War II.

There are only 12 survivors of that attack, all at least 102 years of age.

Their sacrifice, and that of all those who perished on that day in 1941, led to America’s role in world affairs, after the crazy isolationism of the 1920s and 1930s.

And yet, now, we have an incompetent and unstable occupant of the Oval Office, who is only too willing to be charmed by authoritarian figures, as he works to model himself on them and their evil doings.

Donald Trump has worked to destroy American foreign policy, and is now condemning democratic leaders in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, as well as allies in Asia, and democracies elsewhere.

The danger is that with our naivete in the White House, we could see another intelligence failure that leads to a disaster far worse than Pearl Harbor or even the September 11, 2001 attacks.

We have an incompetent Secretary of Defense in Pete Hegseth, and a Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, only too willing to bend to the wishes of Donald Trump, and the entire Trump Cabinet are a bunch of lackeys, only too eager to be sycophants.

Pete Hegseth Becomes Heavy Burden For Trump, But Seems More A Threat To Republicans In Upcoming Midterm Elections Of 2026!

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Secretary of Defense (NOT War as Trump claims) Pete Hegseth is becoming a heavy burden, as the Signal Gate (Signal Chat Leak Crisis) Scandal in the spring, and now the murder of survivors of what are seen as illegal attacks on so called drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific by the US military, supposedly coming from Venezuela, are causing major problems, with many Republicans finally speaking out in outrage.

Trump was willing to “sacrifice” people around him in his first term, but it seems as if he is trying to continue to back controversial Cabinet members, of which there are many, this round in the White House.

Republicans in Congress are, clearly, running scared, as the projection now is that Democrats have a real shot at regaining control of the Congress, after the special Tennessee Congressional race was won by the Republican nominee only by 9 points, compared to when Trump won the district by 22 points in 2024!

Donald Trump, Aggressor In Foreign Policy!

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Donald Trump is becoming an international law violator of massive proportions.

In his declining mental state, and being egged on by sycophants, including Pete Hegseth and Stephen Miller, who are very willing to use American military force to impose their views on other nations, we are seeing the constant attacks on boats in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific, that supposedly, are involved in drug dealing, but no information is being provided to Senators or Congressmen of key committees that deal with national defense and foreign policy.

So far, 18 boats have been attacked, and about 70 people have been killed, while a few survivors of these attacks are sent back to their home nations, which indicates there is no evidence of them being engaged in illegal actions, as if they were, they would be brought to trial in the United States.

Military and naval forces are growing toward what seems like a likely military attack, maybe even invasion, of Venezuela, with the aim of forcing President Nicolas Maduro from power.

This seems connected also to Venezuela’s alliance with Cuba, with the background plan, possibly, to overthrow the Cuban government, a nation where Raul Castro, brother of Fidel Castro, is still alive although retired, 66 years after the Cuban Revolution of 1959.

And there are hints that the US is ready to invade Mexico over the drug cartel issue, as well.

But outside the Western Hemisphere, suddenly there is a threat against the largest populated nation in Africa, Nigeria, because of religious turmoil, leading to the deaths of Christians, but also Muslims in that nation. Trump is using the Christian nationalist argument to threaten invasion of that nation, which would be a total disater if it were to occur.

Clearly, Donald Trump and his extremist Cabinet and advisers are waging the threat of potential military intervention, while sitting on the sidelines regarding the Russia-Ukraine War, and cozying up to nations that are “Communist” in their history, such as Kim Jong Un of North Korea and Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation, and disrupting the 76 year NATO alliance in the process.

Trump, Hegseth Violate International Law By Attacking Ships In Caribbean, Rather Than Navy Stopping Ships To Investigate If Engaged In Drug Activities!

Ronald 12 Comments

The United States government, under President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, have been engaged in a multitude of attacks on boats in the Caribbean and a few in the Pacific Ocean as well, mostly off the coast of Venezuela, waging war on what they claim are drug dealers, but have no proof of such. A total of 14 attacks, killing about 60 people have taken place in the past few weeks.

The US Navy and US Coast Guard could stop these boats, each of which have only a few people on board, and if they were engaged in drug trafficking, they could arrest them without much use of force.

As it is, a few people have survived, and have been returned to their nation of origin, which indicates that they were NOT involved in drug trafficking, because if so, they should have been brought to the US for prosecution.

So what is going on here is illegal under international law, and the UN Human Rights Commission has condemned the attacks.

It is a prelude to a likely attempt to invade Venezuela, which is an unfriendly nation, but is not clearly involved in any activities that allow the United States to use military force.