TRUMP'S PARADE and the ISRAEL-IRAN WAR

 As predicted yesterday, Israel struck dozens of military targets in Iran yesterday, and again tonight.

Iran retaliated with a weak 100-drone barrage, with no deaths reported, for Israel has an Iron Dome.  Russia this week sent 500 drones into Ukraine, and they have no defenses.  Of course, more is promised by Iran, but what?  They are too weak today, with their allies decimated.

Was the USA involved?  Not directly, but we knew about what was to happen.  President Trump even said today that perhaps now Iran will take advantage of the still upcoming Sunday negotiations and agree to give up nuclear weapons, so they can get, perhaps, some concessions.

Trump, of course, has been preparing for his Big, Beautiful Parade in D.C. tomorrow to show off our military capability, and his powerfulness. 

• Supposedly to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Army, and just by sheer coincidence, his birthday.  He will turn 79.

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  Yet, Time magazine, which has more recently well featured Trump more prominently, said:

For all the noise and bluster coming out of Washington, the United States today feels anything but strong. Instead, we are alienating allies, retreating from international commitments, and projecting uncertainty. Trump’s attempts to convey otherwise ring hollow.

The Army’s 250 years of service deserve deep respect. Its soldiers have defended not just our territory, but the democratic values we aspire to uphold. But if this administration truly wants to project American strength, it should focus less on optics and more on outcomes. From Eastern Europe to the South China Sea, our adversaries are asserting themselves. Our alliances are under pressure. And we are stepping back from the principles of freedom and liberty we once championed.

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  The parade itself.
• Why this is happening is that Trump was in Paris during Bastille day in 2017, and was impressed with the French parade.  He has long wanted one for himself.

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  His will have more than 6,600 soldiers, 150 military vehicles and 50 aircraft flying overhead, at a cost of at least $45 million, a lot more if the tanks ruin the roads.

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  Said Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, I wouldn't have done it.  We were always different than, you know, the images you saw in the Soviet Union and North Korea.  We were proud not be that.
• Said former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff General Paul Selva, these are what dictators do.

• In opposition will be the 1,660 anti-demonstrations known as the No King's Protest, or 550501 Movement (50 protests in 50 states in one movement).  Where will these be held?

Want details as to when and where in your state?  Click on this.  

Of course, in preparation for his parade, Trump had carefully orchestrated what happened in California:

Deployment: Trump’s order is the first time that a president has activated a state’s National Guard without a request from that state’s governor since 1965, an expert said. Then, Lyndon B. Johnson sent troops to Alabama to protect civil rights demonstrators. Trump said he considered efforts to block ICE agents a “form of rebellion.”

Response: California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, described Trump’s order as “purposefully inflammatory,” saying that federal officials “want a spectacle.” Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, said the presence of the troops would “not be helpful.”

And while you were sleeping, Trump also proceeded to further damage our natural environment.  He approved drilling and mining in a 23-million-acre plot of untouched wilderness in Alaska, which the Biden administration tried to protect.

This now is his 142nd day as president.  The following damage was accomplished in only his first 100 days.

And before that he was a convicted felon.

So why are Republicans still supporting him?  Well, if you're in any kind of political office, you fear what he can do to you.  What if Trump becomes a dictator?  More when than anything else.

The Atlantic has had no tropical storm or hurricane activity, yet.  The East Pacific is up to #4, Dalila.

However, Tropical Storm Dalila, while heading in the general direction of Hawaii, will, like the three previous storms, soon weaken and dissipate.

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