The complete and utter disaster of Trump’s war against Iran has brought nothing but bad for most of the world, and it’s not over yet, not by a long shot. The only good that will come out of this is the degree that this war has gone far in decentering the U.S. as the dominant hegemonic power in the world; and that it’s given the world and especially the U.S a great incentive to develop alternative and renewable energy resources that cannot be subject to a chokehold (I’m not counting on the U.S. heeding this incentive, but other countries definitely will, and China is already way ahead of most of the globe in this area).
I’m reading a collection of writings taken from Dorothy Day’s many works. Her Christianity and her activism were of one cloth; her strenuous efforts to live among the poor and look to them to see the face of Christ, as well as in the sacraments, are an inspiration. She along with Peter Maurin and those who worked with them in the Catholic Worker movement are a timely and enduring example of how Christ’s command to “go and do likewise” at the end of the parable of the Good Samaritan should be obeyed; the rest of us don’t have any good excuses not to follow that example.
This might be difficult for many readers to grasp — given our nation’s longstanding military supremacy — but the la
rgest and most battle-hardened land force in the Western world may well be the Ukrainian Army. While the precise numbers are classified, the Atlantic Council estimated in 2025 that Ukraine had roughly a million men and women under arms, the vast majority of whom serve in the ground forces.
“It should go without saying, but once you threaten to invade an allied country, you don’t just place the existence of the alliance in jeopardy; you raise the possibility of allies turning into mortal enemies. You can also trigger the kind of insecurity and scramble for power that contributed to the start of World War I.
In practical terms, it’s hard to see how alienating American allies puts America first…
There’s certainly no military benefit. Americans have spent the last several weeks watching our president dismiss our European allies as irrelevant, then rage at them for not helping American forces reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
“But you cannot threaten the free world and lead it at the same time. No nation can match American might, but for the first time in my adult life, the moral and strategic heart of the defense of liberal democracy doesn’t beat in Washington. It doesn’t beat in London or Paris or Berlin or Ottawa, either.
“It’s in Kyiv, where a courageous leader and a courageous people have picked up the torch America has dropped.”
Zelensky will be remembered in history as Churchillian figure and the European allies and countries that have stepped up to the plate to support him in various ways will be remembered as the Arsenal of Democracy. Not the goddamned US, thankfully. Seems to me the real successor to Reagan and the GOP is in Kyiv. Trump and the GOP will be remembered Pétain and the Vichy French. Maybe when the darkness is lifted, we can shave the heads of the MAGA women and have the men perform the Spandau Ballet (just like what happened to Nazi collaborators at the end of WWII). Each and every one of the MAGAs deserve it. I would watch that on pay-per-view.
In typically JD sofa sodomizer Vance fashion, the VP did not clap when King Charles recalls NATO unity after 9/11, says the same resolve is now needed to defend Ukraine and its people in his address to a joint session of Congress. The funny thing is that Trump and the MAGAs complain about NATO not helping, but completely ignore the fact that it is defensive alliance and that Article 5 is invoked when on of the members is the subject of an attack (not the attacker). Someone needs to remind the pedophile POTUS and his make-up wearing futon effer VP that the ONLY time Article 5 was invoked was by the US after it was attacked on 9/11.
It’s all yours today…
The complete and utter disaster of Trump’s war against Iran has brought nothing but bad for most of the world, and it’s not over yet, not by a long shot. The only good that will come out of this is the degree that this war has gone far in decentering the U.S. as the dominant hegemonic power in the world; and that it’s given the world and especially the U.S a great incentive to develop alternative and renewable energy resources that cannot be subject to a chokehold (I’m not counting on the U.S. heeding this incentive, but other countries definitely will, and China is already way ahead of most of the globe in this area).
I’m reading a collection of writings taken from Dorothy Day’s many works. Her Christianity and her activism were of one cloth; her strenuous efforts to live among the poor and look to them to see the face of Christ, as well as in the sacraments, are an inspiration. She along with Peter Maurin and those who worked with them in the Catholic Worker movement are a timely and enduring example of how Christ’s command to “go and do likewise” at the end of the parable of the Good Samaritan should be obeyed; the rest of us don’t have any good excuses not to follow that example.
Lately my thoughts have been circling around a subject that Fr John Behr has talked about in great depth: Dying, we live.
This a really good article.
https://anglicancompass.com/patriotism-or-nationalism-a-distinction-that-makes-a-difference
CK, great article.
At some point prob. 30 yrs ago, I heard this wisdom:
“Patriotism yes. Nationalism no.”
It’s stayed in my craw since then!
The latest from David French
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/26/opinion/zelensky-ukraine-trump-nato-leader.html
“Meet the New Leader of the Free World”
This might be difficult for many readers to grasp — given our nation’s longstanding military supremacy — but the la
rgest and most battle-hardened land force in the Western world may well be the Ukrainian Army. While the precise numbers are classified, the Atlantic Council estimated in 2025 that Ukraine had roughly a million men and women under arms, the vast majority of whom serve in the ground forces.
“It should go without saying, but once you threaten to invade an allied country, you don’t just place the existence of the alliance in jeopardy; you raise the possibility of allies turning into mortal enemies. You can also trigger the kind of insecurity and scramble for power that contributed to the start of World War I.
In practical terms, it’s hard to see how alienating American allies puts America first…
There’s certainly no military benefit. Americans have spent the last several weeks watching our president dismiss our European allies as irrelevant, then rage at them for not helping American forces reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
“But you cannot threaten the free world and lead it at the same time. No nation can match American might, but for the first time in my adult life, the moral and strategic heart of the defense of liberal democracy doesn’t beat in Washington. It doesn’t beat in London or Paris or Berlin or Ottawa, either.
“It’s in Kyiv, where a courageous leader and a courageous people have picked up the torch America has dropped.”
Bob1
Zelensky will be remembered in history as Churchillian figure and the European allies and countries that have stepped up to the plate to support him in various ways will be remembered as the Arsenal of Democracy. Not the goddamned US, thankfully. Seems to me the real successor to Reagan and the GOP is in Kyiv. Trump and the GOP will be remembered Pétain and the Vichy French. Maybe when the darkness is lifted, we can shave the heads of the MAGA women and have the men perform the Spandau Ballet (just like what happened to Nazi collaborators at the end of WWII). Each and every one of the MAGAs deserve it. I would watch that on pay-per-view.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10022120589
At first glance I wasn’t sure…
But this is from the Onion
“Trump Claims Correspondents’ Dinner Shooting Reinforces Need To End Journalism”
https://theonion.com/trump-claims-correspondents-dinner-shooting-reinforces-need-to-end-journalism/
bob1,
In typically JD sofa sodomizer Vance fashion, the VP did not clap when King Charles recalls NATO unity after 9/11, says the same resolve is now needed to defend Ukraine and its people in his address to a joint session of Congress. The funny thing is that Trump and the MAGAs complain about NATO not helping, but completely ignore the fact that it is defensive alliance and that Article 5 is invoked when on of the members is the subject of an attack (not the attacker). Someone needs to remind the pedophile POTUS and his make-up wearing futon effer VP that the ONLY time Article 5 was invoked was by the US after it was attacked on 9/11.