The War’s The Thing

I voted for Trump because he promised “no more wars.” Holding a man to his most important promise about matters of life and death is what self-respecting grownups do.

Many readers were offended by my post Both Sides of TDS: Trump Derangement Syndrome is the obverse of Trump Dimwit Syndrome. They apparently believe that Trump’s decision to break ten years of promises not to start new wars is a minor point. Others apparently believe that Trump always intended to vanquish the Iranian regime, which they believe “has been at war with the US since 1979.” They seem to believe that Trump never mentioned this intention because he assumed that prospective voters would understand that attacking Iran did not qualify as a “new war.”

I believe I have made it clear on this newsletter that I am opposed to war unless US territory is attacked. As all our Founding Fathers and many philosophers of great intellectual and moral distinction have remarked over the centuries, war is a calamity, and the decision to wage war is the most momentous, dangerous, and usually the most corrupt thing an executive can do.

Because only 0.4% of Americans serve in the military, 99.6% haven’t a clue about war and how terrible it is. Without knowing anything about it—and taking for granted that they and their children have little to no risk of being killed or maimed by it—they are “okay” with the US government/military killing foreigners and destroying their lands.

They don’t worry or lose sleep over young men who are killed by American weapons or the grief of the mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and friends of these young men.

It doesn’t bother them when American bombs destroy cities and civilian infrastructure, disrupting the lives, jobs, food and fuel supplies of millions and wrecking their economies.

For readers who don’t understand why I have become so critical of President Trump, I will clearly declare it so that you can decide if you wish to continue reading my newsletter posts, which are delivered from “John Leake From Focal Points.”

• I do not share the tendency to be “okay” with killing people and dropping bombs on women and children and civilian infrastructure.

• I believe that the perfidy and odiousness of the Democrats do not mitigate the gravity of Trump’s broken promise.

• I believe that war is the most significant, dangerous, risky, and corrupt thing a US president can do, and that his domestic policies are of secondary importance.

• In the matter of war—that is, the life, death, and property of millions—I expected President Trump to keep his promises.