This Carbon Based Life

By David Glenn Cox

It is a frustrating problem how stealthily war creeps in upon us. It infiltrates our thoughts and jade’s us to normal life. Try to find a subject that isn’t directly tied to the war somehow. Three weeks and it’s already called “the war.” From four or five days, until who knows? Our whole world swirls around inside it. I wrote a piece yesterday and specifically tried not to write about the “the war.” About a thousand words in, I found myself drifting towards the war like a moth to a flame. It’s the big story like Pearl Harbor or 9-11. That’s hard for a person like me to avoid.

I would personally like some non-war related stories to write about. But I don’t want to write travel pamphlets either. But in the end, it’s just another facet of “the war” in its stories. In Formula One racing, all the races in the Middle East are being cancelled…due to the war. There’s the story of the TSA agents who aren’t being paid. Workers the government hired and trained to do a job, furloughed and sent home. To be replaced by other federal workers hired and trained to do another, different job. You begin to laugh and then realize these are “our” leaders. And the fate of “the war” comes up again.

It’s so cute. Mr. Trump pretends to have this imaginary Iranian friend. How can you avoid a story like that? And the guy, this guy, our guy is real anxious for a ceasefire. Like Monte Hall, he’s ready to make a deal! He’s eager to make a deal. But he’s afraid his own people or the Americans will kill him. Or, the deal is widely unpopular and “our guy” is just a Quisling with little support out trying to take advantage of the confusion. If, if he exists at all.

Mr. Trump’s performance as a wartime president is laughable. Listening to Mr. Trump will tell you what’s not going to happen. First, he’s escorting vessels up the strait, and then he’s not. Then he’s bombing the power plants and then he’s not. Every day, Trump promises to give Iran double what they got yesterday. There is a desperate public panic and fear of failure. Trump was lied to and told this would be easy. Knowing Trump’s personality or anyone for that matter, Donnie must be furious.

Carol lying Levitt made a statement from the White House. She was left behind, and that implies the king’s disfavor. Ms. Levitt called on the Iranians to admit defeat and admit the war was over and we had won. It occurred to me that telling your opponent the war was over and he had lost. Has probably never worked in the entire history of the world. “Come on, admit it. You’re beaten!” It sounds like a parent bargaining with a child. “I’m going to give you to the count of three! One, two, two and a half. two and nine sixteenths, two and three quarters!” The administration shifted from demanding surrender to pleading for it. “Come on, give up! Please?”

Who knows who they’re speaking with? Some CIA-backed Iranian front group willing to make a deal that 95% of the inhabitants don’t like. Pretending to find a peaceful settlement to placate the media and public opinion while beginning an insurgency and a false equivalency. “Our guy” is instantly promoted to government out of power. If I were in the administration; I would seriously worry about any Iranian eager to make a deal.

Neither side wishes to appear weak, but Mr. Trump seems most anxious for a deal. A silent admission of defeat. Every day, the pressure builds and the consequences compound. Even Epstein revelations get lost and misplaced. A whistleblower (inmate) in Jeffrey’s jail said he helped the authorities with a  document shredding party after Epstein’s death. The FBI is investigating large cash deposits made by one of Epstein’s guards. It was the story of the century last month, but now?

We have so much more to worry about today. Mr. Trump seems to vacillate between insane  radical action or nothing. Making idle threats before backing off from them. Every day the pressure builds and the consequences compound. There appears to be no progress, and the two sides aren’t even speaking directly. Israel isn’t finished assaulting Lebanon yet. But something is up. Israel is speeding up their offensive, lest Trump declare a ceasefire before they are finished.

How can there be any other story? The lives of every person on Earth hang in the balance. A stupid war caused by faulty assumptions disrupting the world economy. It was just a year ago, we were the leader of the free world. Today, we are a pirate nation. A nation which can’t be trusted to keep its promises or obey the law.  The US attacked Iran while in negotiations, no differently than Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. The US assassinated the sovereign leader of a foreign government. There was a time when most Americans would have been outraged by that. The world’s policeman is now on the take.

Yeah, the US murders people and steals their shit. What did you think this was, Bubba, a candy factory? Did you mistakenly think this was some fine, noble world? All we’re doing is murdering their leadership and installing a puppet government in the name of the people of the United States. It’s a rough, tough world out there, buckaroo, and sometimes big, ugly men have to bust our knuckles to get what we want. Yeah, right, freedom and democracy! Sure, sure. Oh, yeah, sure. I loves me some of that sweet, sweet democracy.

A fifteenth Century war is being fought in the twenty-first century. A medieval warlord desirous of new subjects and territories. Seeks to impose his will upon the innocent with sword and flame. All talk about the law and legality are to be ignored.

“There are but two powers in the world, the sword and the mind. In the long run the sword is always beaten by the mind” ― Napoleon Bonaparte

“After the collapse of socialism, capitalism remained without a rival. This unusual situation unleashed its greedy and – above all – its suicidal power. The belief is now that everything – and everyone – is fair game.”  ― Günter Grass