Tag: Iran

Trump’s Capitulation: Hegseth Loses his First War.

President Trump signed the now infamous Memorandum of Agreement with Iran at a Palace of Versailles dinner party last evening. From one image, it looks as if the dinner plates, silverware, and crystal wine glasses had been shoved aside so that Trump, grasping an extra large sharpie, could sign the document. Reminds me of a family dinner and getting my parents to sign my report card.

A lone candle and table top flower arrangements were the official props for this sad bit of presidential theatrics, a sad charade intending to display strength and power, but in reality, signifying a humiliating a defeat for America.

Didn’t Nixon sign some peace accord in France?

Why Trump would use a dinner party at Versailles to sign the Memorandum of Understanding is bewildering, considering that the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, signed over a century ago, was a keystone in the the rise of Nazis Germany and World War Two. The agreement is mostly a one-sided capitulation to Iran. There are a number of 30- and 60- day sticks and carrots in the agreement, however, but mostly carrots. It reflects Trump’s desire to extract himself out of his self made briar patch.

Trump’s first term trashing of Obama’a deal with Iran cascaded into an avalanche of disasters: The deaths of tens of thousands, including 13 servicemen and women in Trump’s latest war; the expenditure of 100s of billions of American taxpayer dollars; a creating critical shortage of munitions to defend our homeland.

Additionally, an unforeseen consequence of Trump killing the Obama agreement, and disengaging from dialogue with Iran, was Hamas’s attack on Israel on Oct 7. This horrific attack was followed by Israel’s war of retribution against Hamas and the death of over 50,000 Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

Iran would never have greenlighted Hamas to attack Israel, I argue, if the Obama era deal — the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — were in force. The horrific terrorist attack on Israel and the resultant wars on Irans’ regional surrogates and tens of thousands of civilian deaths were avoidable. These deaths and never ending wars were primarily the result of Trump’s racial animus and vendetta towards Obama, his rank amateurism, hubris, and plain stupidity.

None of the ever changing goals of the war were achieved: Iran did not end its ballistic missile program; Iran did not end its nuke program; Iran did not turn over all its fissile material to the U.S.; Iran did not end support to proxy groups like Hezbollah and Hamas, Iran’s regime did not change. None.

Below are some key points of America’s agreement with Iran:

And I thought it wasn’t a War: An “immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts” and a final deal to follow, confirming the “permanent termination of the war.”

No Regime Change: The U.S. and Iran promise not to “interfere in each other’s internal affairs.”

The Retreat of U.S. Forces: The “U.S. will undertake to remove its forces from the proximity to Iran within 30 days of the final deal.”

Ending the U.S. Naval Blockade: The U.S. will immediately begin removing its naval blockade of Iranian ports.

“Best Efforts” to Open the Strait of Hormuz (that weren’t closed before the war): Iran “will make arrangements using its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman.”

“Not One Penny for Tribute” …fees, well, okay: ‘Iran will consult with Oman to define future administration and maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz.’

Can we say,’graft.’ Real Estate Developer and Trump Son-in-law — Jared Kushner’s — modern Marshall Plan: The U.S and others will develop a $300 billion reconstruction and economic development plan for Iran. Funding partners TBD.

Ending Sanctions on Iran: The U.S. will “undertake to terminate all types of sanctions” against Iran in an agreed upon schedule as part of the final deal.

No Nuke Promise, again: Iran reaffirms that it shall not procure or develop nuclear weapons. Pending the final deal, Iran can maintain its’ current “status quo “of its nuclear program.

The Obama Plan Redo: Iran agrees to “blend down its enriched uranium” under the supervision of the IAEA. Where have I seen IAEA oversight before? Wait, wait, it will come to me.

No New Sanctions on Iran’s Nuke Program: “The U.S. will not impose any new sanctions and will not deploy additional forces in the region.”

Waivers for Iran Exporting Crude Oil: The U.S. will “issue waivers” for the export of Iranian crude oil pending termination of the sanctions.

‘Let it Go, Let it Go,’ unfreezing Iran’s assets: The US will unfreeze Iran’s frozen assets and make them fully available (pending additional negotiations).

Now He Needs the United Nations: The final deal will be endorsed by a United Nations’ Security Council binding Resolution.

The full MOU:

1 — The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran and their allies in the current war, by signing this MOU, declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and undertake from now on not to initiate any war or any military operation against each other, and to refrain from the threat or use of force against each other and ensuring the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon. The final deal will confirm the permanent termination of the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon and other provisions of this paragraph.

2 — The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran undertake to respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to refrain from interfering in each other’s internal affairs.

3 — The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran commit to negotiating and achieving the final deal in maximum 60 days, expendable with mutual consent.

4 — Immediately upon the signing of this MOU, the United States of America will begin the removal of its naval blockade and any disturbances or impediments against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and will fully end the naval blockade within 30 days. During this period, the traffic of vessels will be in proportion to the numbers of pre-war traffic being restored by the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States of America further undertakes to remove its forces from the proximity of the Islamic Republic of Iran within 30 days after the final deal.

5 — Upon the signing of this MOU, the Islamic Republic of Iran will make arrangements using its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days only from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman and vice versa. The traffic of commercial vessels will immediately start, and considering the need for removing the technical and military obstacles and demining by the Islamic Republic of Iran, will be instated within 30 days. The Islamic Republic of Iran will conduct dialogue with the Sultanate of Oman to define the future administration and maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz, in discussion with other Persian Gulf littoral states in line with the applicable international law and the sovereign rights of coastal states of the Strait of Hormuz.

6 — The United States of America undertakes with regional partners to develop a definitive, mutually agreed plan with at least USD $300 billion for the reconstruction and economic development of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The mechanism for the implementation of this plan will be finalized as part of a final deal within 60 days. All required licenses, waivers, and permissions needed for the relevant financial transactions will be granted by the United States of America.

7 — The United States of America undertakes to terminate all types of sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the United Nations Security Council resolutions, IAEA Board of Governors resolutions, and all unilateral U.S. sanctions—primary and secondary—in an agreed upon schedule as part of the final deal. The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America acknowledge the critical importance of the sanctions termination issue above mentioned and expressed their intentions to immediately address these issues in the negotiations in order to achieve mutual agreement on them.

8 — The Islamic Republic of Iran reaffirms that it shall not procure or develop nuclear weapons. The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran have agreed to resolve the disposition of stockpile enriched material pursuant to a mechanism that will be mutually agreed upon in accordance with the schedule mentioned in paragraph seven, with the minimum methodology to be down blending on site under the supervision of the IAEA. The two parties also agreed to discuss the issue of enrichment and other mutually agreed matters related to the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear needs, based on a satisfactory framework being agreed upon in the final deal. The final deal will confirm the provisions of this paragraph. The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran acknowledged the critical importance of the nuclear issues above mentioned and expressed their intention to immediately address these issues in the negotiations in order to achieve mutual agreement on them.

9 — Pending the final deal, the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran agree to maintain the status quo. The Islamic Republic of Iran will maintain the current status quo of its nuclear program and the United States of America will not impose any new sanctions and will not deploy additional forces in the region.

10 — The United States of America undertakes that immediately upon the signing of this MOU and until the termination of sanctions, the U.S. Department of Treasury will issue waivers for the export of Iranian crude oil, petroleum products and derivatives, and all associated services, including banking transactions, insurances, transportation, etc.

11 — The United States of America undertakes to make fully available for use the frozen or restricted funds and assets of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Upon the implementation of the MOU, the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran will mutually agree on the procedures related to the release of these funds during the negotiations. Such funds, whether retained in the original account or transferred, shall be made fully usable for payment to any ultimate beneficiary designated by the central bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States of America undertakes to issue all the necessary licenses and authorizations accordingly.

12 — The United States of America and Islamic Republic of Iran agree that an executive mechanism will be established to monitor the successful implementation of this MOU and the future compliance of the final deal.

13 — After signing this MOU, and subject to the beginning of the implementation of paragraphs 1, 4, 5, 10, and 11 of this MOU, and the continuing implementation of these measures, the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran will start negotiations regarding the final deal exclusively on the other paragraphs.

14 — The final deal will be endorsed by a binding United Nations Security Council resolution.

Onward Christian Soldiers: Trump’s War on Iran and Secular America.

In the year 1188 AD, both England and France imposed an income tax to help pay for the third Crusade.  It was called the Saladin Tax.  It was a first.  It was 10 percent.  Saladin was the general, the Sultan, who recaptured Jerusalem the year before, expelling Christan forces who ruled Jerusalem since the first crusade when a Christian army captured the holy city in 1099, butchering most inhabitants. 

Saladin captured the imagination of the West.  They even invented a European origin story for him; he was featured in western literature, to include in Dante’s inferno.  In 1920 when the French General Henri-Joseph-Eugene entered Damascus after the victorious allies divided up the Ottoman Empire amongst themselves – Mandates they called them – he visited Saladin’s tomb and allegedly said, “Mr. Sultan, we’ve returned to the Orient.” 

They drew new maps and new countries.  Syria and Lebanon came under French rule, Palestine and Transjordan went to the British empire.   Europe certainly did return and managed through their imperial hubris, ignorance, and contempt for the peoples of the region, set the stage for over a century of regional and global conflicts and wars over this land. To include Trump’s war with Iran

God, it seems, gets the both the blame and the glory.  Depending on who wins the day.

To listen to Secretary of Defense Hegseth, Trump’s war with Iran is a crusade.  He uses Christian imagery to portray American forces as soldiers of Christ.  His prayers ask that God and Christ guide American bombs, bullets, and missiles to kill evil enemies.  Onward Christian soldiers wearing God as his armor.  He stated that there would be no quarter.  The crusaders in Jerusalem in 1099 offered no quarter.  Man, woman, child, struck down by sword and axes guided by Jesus and God.  

That notion of chivalry and God died on the fields of Flander, the Somme, and Ypres hundreds of years later.

Unfortunately, Hegseth is not an outlier in Trump’s world.  The White House increasingly compares Trump to Jesus, betrayed, and arrested.  At a recent private Easter event, Trump’s spiritual advisor Pastor Paula White-Cain compared the experiences of Christ’s crucifixion to Trump’s legal troubles, you know sexually assaulting a woman in a department store dressing room or paying off a porn star to keep silent about an affair.  Although I think she must have forgotten about these secular trials.  I too see Trump and Jesus in the same thought, every time he opens his mouth or posts on Truth Social, I say, “Jesus Christ, what the fuck did that idiot just say.”

It is not new in our history for American leaders to invoke God, especially after great tragedies or wars or other calamities.  America’s sense of its exceptionalism is deeply rooted in God. That shiny city on a hill.  It is new, however, for an American president to lay claim to divinity.  The Beatles were crucified, pun intended, when they claimed they were more popular than Jesus during a radio interview.

Trump is deliberately, cynically I think, erasing the line between him and Jesus.  Many of his adherents are in lock step with him, nonetheless.  For Trump to claim divine rule requires not only breaking down, but utterly demolishing, the wall between state and church.

Our country has a long history of keeping religion out of state and keeping the state out of religion.  For good reason as we can see by Trump’s insane comparison to Jesus. The Constitution does not mention “God.”  Not even the oath of office for president mentions God.  When asked why God did not appear in the Constitution, Alexander Hamilton famously quipped, “We forgot” or “We don’t need any foreign help.”  Whether these were apocryphal response, I don’t know, but they have a ring of authenticity.

In 1777, while a Delegate to Virginia’s General Assembly, Thomas Jefferson submitted a statute for Religious Freedom.  It was shelved given opposition from the still powerful Anglican Church members. That bill lay dormant of over a decade and was resurrected by James Madison in 1785 after Patrick Henry submitted a bill a year earlier calling for a tax to pay ministers of the Christian religion.  

In response to Henry’s bill, Madison wrote a Memorial and Remonstrance against the assessment.  In it he warned that the state should not support any religion.  That belief in God was between a man and his creator, that the state had no business interfering with such relationship.  He warned that once you support Christian ministers, what will stop a particular sect within Christianity from assuming dominance over the others.  Henry’s bill did not pass.

Virginia’s Baptists supported Madison’s Remonstrance and the Religious Freedom bill.  They had suffered heavily from Anglican Church violence in the 18th Century, especially during the Virginia’s Great Awakening in the 1740s.  Itinerant Baptist ministers were whipped or jailed and driven out of counties. Sadly, many Baptists today who support destroying the barrier between church and state have forgotten that history.

He was right.  In Texas, which provides tax dollars to both secular and religious charter schools, Islamic charter schools requesting public funding are being denied funding, claims leveled about terrorism.  Bashing Muslims has become sport in Texas amongst those Republicans running for office.  A proposed public school reading list contains the bible, but not the Koran.

In addition to the Remonstrance, Madison also resubmitted Jefferson’s decade old bill to Virginia’s General Assembly.  It passed.  Both Madison’s Remonstrance and Jefferson’s bill for Religious Freedom should be required reading.  Both argue that God doesn’t need the State:

“That Almighty God hath created the mind free, and manifested his supreme will that free it shall remain by making it altogether insusceptible of restraint; that all attempts to influence it by temporal punishments, or burthens, or by civil incapacitation, tend only to beget habits of hypocrisy and meanness….”  Adding, “not to propagating it by coercion …but extend it by its influence on reason alone.” 

What became the first amendment to the constitution, written by Madison, were born in Madison’s Remonstrance and Jefferson’s Statute for Religious Freedom (1786).  It clearly articulates that the government  could not establish a state religion or prohibit the free exercise thereof.  A careful balance.  

In 1802, President Jefferson, in a famous letter to the ‘Danbury Baptists,’ wrote that the 1st Amendment built a “wall of separation between Church and State.”  While Jefferson had no direct hand in the writing of the Constitution — he was the American Ambassador to France during the constitutional convention, and was not in Congress when the propositions were submitted by Madison which became the Bill of Rights — he and Madison regularly corresponded, explaining their thoughts and ideas of government and the constitution.  

This separation of church and state, this wall, has informed the liberal American experiment that in a healthy democracy the role of religion and the role of government are better kept distant and respectful. 

That arrangement worked spectacularly.  Religion thrives in America because of this wall of separation.  It is a paradox then that America aims to finish off a despotic theocratic state in Iran while planting the very seeds of a despotic right wing white nationalist Christian theocratic state in America.  

MAGA voices like Gladden Pappin – who claims the Pope will appoint Melania as queen – and Rod Dreher want American to go back to the Middle Ages, where the church held power, where the Bible was the law of the land. They hate and despise the enlightenment and liberal ideals of democracy, human rights, and the freedom to enjoy a personal relationship with God, without government surveillance and dictate.

The conspicuous and dangerous allusions to Trump, God, and Christ in prosecuting Trump’s war against Iran are anathema to America’s founding ideals and over 250 years of history.  God help us all.

Regime Change: Coming Soon this November

One day before the war on Iran, the Secretary of Defense announced that Scouting America had surrendered its’ honor and ethics in exchange for continued financial support from the War Department.  They, had according to the Pentagon, agreed to certain concessions.  For example, the ‘Citizenship in Society’ merit badge will be replaced by a new ‘Military Service’ badge.  In exchange, a tiger cub scout pack was allowed to name the operation against Iran.  Operation Farting Trump was a close second to Epic Fury.  

I am thankful that Hegseth, AKA He-Man Master of the Universe, was steely eyed focused on Scouting America and his perpetual war on American pluralism and women, just one day before sending our men and women into harm’s way in a surprise attack on Iran, an unjust and illegal War.  Such a role model for our young.

Thirty Thousand Eyeglasses and Trump’s Wars: Whose America is This?

Two piles of money, one $45 million the other $50 million:  What do they say about America?

The latter is the amount of money that American taxpayers are spending every day to pay for Trump’s War on Iran.  A week or so after hosting his Board of Peace, the president announced his preemptive war against Iran from his lavish country estate in Florida, the same night he hosted a million dollar a plate fund raiser.  

The former is the value of medical care provided to Virginians by Remote Area Medicine over the years.  This includes 30,000 glasses, 56,000 tooth extractions, 38,000 filing, thousands of exams, mammograms, and hearing aids.

While Trump offers to send a hospital ship to Greenland, ostensibly because, he says, he understands their medical care is not very good.  Meanwhile, rural American healthcare languishes and degrades under Trump.  This month Remote Area Medicine will offer a clinic in Fisherville, Virginia.  That’s an hour and a half from Louisa, and where about 21 percent of folks in that Shenandoah congressional district are on Medicaid.  Additional Remote Area Medical clinics in Virginia are also scheduled for Emporia (April), Luray (September), and Grundy (October).    Welcome to Trump’s Golden Age.

This past September, following the passing of the Big Beautiful Bill, the Augusta Medical Group, which provides medical clinics in the Shenandoah Valley, announced the closure of three rural clinics:  One urgent care and two primary care clinics.  They blamed the closings and consolidation of services on Trump’s signature bill.

Trump’s promised golden era was supposed to be one with prosperity, no foreign wars, no regime changes. He is failing. On the other hand, he and his Epstein Class are living in a golden era.  Trump has lined his pockets with gold and literally lined the White House walls with gold, putting his name on anything that can’t move.  Meanwhile, everyday Americans suffer through stubborn inflations (it just grew again), unaffordable housing, low wage growth, and shrinking job opportunities.  

He is detached from the suffering he has caused in America in general, and the carnage he is causing by his illegal and unjust war against Iran.   He callously characterized the death of American servicemen as, “that’s the way things are.”  As a reminder, he has a history of calling those who died in the service of our country “suckers.”  

To hone this point about Trump’s disinterest, the other day when giving remarks at a Medal of Honor award ceremony, of all things, Trump drifted off point and began talking about the golden drapes behind him, saving money, and the magnificent ball room he is building.  All about him as is his usual style. Americans and Iranians are dying, and he talks about is himself and the golden drapes? 

Americans in November have an opportunity to change the trajectory of this country.  Make our own regime change. A change of power in Congress is just the start, however.  We can’t just pat ourselves on the back and say America is back.  Our reputation is destroyed. No one trusts us, no one likes us, no one wishes us well, no one will come to our aid. We are the axis of evil.  

Yet, we see the work of Remote Area Medicine, and if you squint your eyes, you can make out that embryo of American goodness.  A country that once prided itself on the rule of law, civil society, volunteerism, fairness, and justice.  We can reclaim that title, but we need to roll up our sleeves and do the hard work not for days, weeks, or months, but in the years and decades to follow.