In George Orwell's novel, "1984," the ruling party of the superstate, Oceania has three core slogans. The first is, "Freedom is slavery. " The second reads, "Ignorance is strength. The third and my personal favorite is, "War is peace." The leader of the party and therefore the country is a guy known only as, "Big Brother." Unlike Donald Trump, it is unclear if Big Brother really exists, might have existed at one time, or is simply a fictional persona manufactured by the same people who came up with the whole, "Freedom is slavery," thing.
For those out there about to accuse me of having, "Trump Derangement Syndrome--which I deny, although I do like to think of myself as a carrier--no, I'm not saying we are at the point, "Ignorance is strength," yet. However, it does feel like we are coming uncomfortably close to that terrible and irreversible moment.
On Monday, one of Donald Trump's worker bees, GOP Congressman Andy Ogles wrote on social media, "Muslims don't belong in American society." While utterly vile, we've come to expect this sort of Islamophobic bullshit from republican congressmen representing Tennessee--"Greenest state in the land of the free," according to the lyric. Then, Ogles added another brief sentence. He posted, "Pluralism is a lie." That's the ticket Congressman. It is a proto-Big Brother proclamation if there ever was one.
Yesterday, as oil prices continued to rise and his poll numbers floundered like the Titanic after the iceberg was struck, Donald Trump posted this: "The United States is the largest Oil Producer in the world, by far, so when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money." (The italics are mine, everything else is his.)
It isn't, "War is Peace," but it is, in Trump's own roundabout way, "War means more wealth."
Luckily, not everyone has bought into the, "Ignorance is strength," deal yet and many recognize Trump's we, isn't us.
We aren't the independent truckers, or truck companies hauling products across the country. We aren't the police and fire departments from coast to coast. The President's we certainly aren't cab and rideshare drivers, the delivery drivers or just people who have to fill up their cars once, or twice a week. And his we aren't the farmers who are going to have to pay more to get their crops planted, fertilized, harvested, and shipped to markets.
In fact, when it comes down to it, Donald Trump's we are the precious few who own the oil-based energy industry. The rest of us are going to financially take the cost of this war in the ass.
Trump seemed to immediately realize his post might have been, as Lawrence O'Donnell put it, "The stupidest thing ever said by an American President." His mantra, which is being parroted by scores of his toadies on TV, quickly turned into the phrase, "Short term pain, for long term gain." The problem being he still won't or can't adequately explain to us just exactly what the fuck it is we're gaining.
Freedom from Iran's nukes? Freedom from their ballistic missile threat? Neither of which actually exist yet. Is it freedom from radical Islamic theology? Is it freedom from foreign oil dependency? Or, is the real aim here total American control of Iran's oil industry? You know, get someone in power who will do exactly what Donald Trump wants him, or her to do, like in Venezuela.
These and other questions caused one talking to head to say, "This isn't a war of choice. The word choice indicates there is some plan in place. This is a war of whim."
Meanwhile, in a press conference earlier today, Secretary of Defense/War, Pete Hegseth announced the deaths of at least four more service members--and possibly another two--when their tanker plane went down in Iraq. He also criticized the media for reporting the war was, "intensifying." Mere moments later he told the same crowd, "We will be intensifying our attacks," (to further cripple Iran's capabilities.)
That's what I like about this administration, there is confusion and incompetence from top to bottom. Maybe while we wait until that awful time when, war becomes peace, Donald J. Trump's core slogan can be one some of us remember well.
It is "What, me worry?"
3-13-26
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