Mark Wignall | A bigger war looming?

At US$50 per head it came cheap. Although some saw it as a publicity stunt, the June 2015 golden escalator launch of Donald Trump’s initial political campaign included him paying out-of-work actors to show up for that day, June 16, now pressed into historical infamy.

A friend who lives in Washington, DC and who went on an exploratory trip on all parts Trump said to me last week.:

“As I observe Trump, I think he is more devious, manipulative, and controlling than he is given credit for. Like a mob boss, he deliberately cultivated his ‘followers’ into loyal enforcers so that he would have absolute loyalty from the spineless members of the GOP House and Senate. He bellows and the serfs follow with extreme loyalty. Power has many GOP House reps and Senators drunk and in fear. A sad set of cowards.

“The Democrats are fake themselves, with no clear strategy. Instead of blind hatred for Trump, they should emphasise every day the rising food costs and costs of all consumer goods, the extreme cruelty of the immigration dragnet, the tax breaks for billionaires, the pardons for the rich.

“Instead they, the Democrats, cannot get out of their own way. Politically, he (Trump) is more like a Stalin or Putin. But at times, he comes across as a blithering idiot because that gives him cover to do what he wants. He creates vast deceptions. But he is no idiot.”

Trump is very calculating. Clearly, he has studied key human characteristics and psychology and knows how to prey on people very effectively even if he has to fight against his own destructive impulses and policy incuriosity. He needed no books to show him that. He wouldn’t read them anyway.

It is obvious that the GOP is blindly loyal while the Democrats are like clucking chickens running every which way for grains of corn thrown out by Trump.

The next reader is a Jamaican and has been practising law in Atlanta for over 20 years. He is also close to US politics. “As you requested, let me give you a legal breakdown on the US/Israeli war against Iran. The US president has stated himself that it is a war. But according to the US constitution, only Congress can declare war. Article 1, Section 7 of the constitution states that Congress shall have the power ‘to declare war, grant Letters of Marque … ’.

“Congress has not declared war on any country. Because the Trump administration lies all the time, there is no possible way to trust the president and his Cabinet and the administration. There has been some criticism of the president’s actions but no real sustained, powerful opposition.

“The president took an oath to uphold the constitution, so his clear violation of that oath is terribly disturbing. Since opposition has been so muted and Democratic response effective as spilled rice porridge, the president is emboldened. He sees no limits on his power.”

“Jamaica is a minnow in a huge pond,” I insisted. “What can we do?”

“Let me finish, “ he said. “Congress has not invoked the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying troops and mandates their withdrawal within 60 days, plus a 30-day withdrawal period unless Congress authorises a longer period or declares war. We have the mightiest military power on Earth at war with Iran, and there has been no declaration of war by Congress or invoking of the War Powers Resolution of 1973. That is plainly dangerous.”

“Seriously, what must be Jamaica’s position?”

He sounded annoyed. “Show me Jamaica’s navy and its air force. and its impressive array of cannons, howitzers, and medium-range missiles launchers. And even a most strident prime minister like Dr Holness defending his stance on Cuba. Our position? We have to tread very lightly especially on the Cuba complication. Didn’t you hear the war whoops from Senator Lindsay Graham? ‘Cuba is next.’”

WHERE NO ANGELS DWELL

My friend continued. “Iran is an established rogue state and foments violence and has an obscene hatred for Israel and the United States. Just a fact. Iran arms Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and many lunatic groups that hate Israel and the US and attack Israel and the US.

“Iran is trying to become a nuclear power. Not a secret. But Iran’s evil actions do not justify the US president and his administration ignoring and blatantly violating the US constitution.”

It just occurred to me that this is not 1967 when the global community supported Israel’s stance vis-a-vis adjoining hostile states. The divisions are now more stark.

According to my friend, “As a lawyer, it is deeply troubling to me how the current president and his administration have ignored, violated, and left in tatters the US constitution. And now that they have done so, what prevents future presidents of the US from doing the same? The US would face a complete breakdown of democracy. Anarchy would reign. A dangerous, slippery, slope.

“What would prevent China from seizing Taiwan. Russia from continuing its bloodbath with Ukraine, North Korea from attacking South Korea, and other nations from going rogue? In the meantime, oil prices soar, and Jamaica and other poor counties are hit with added financial burdens and crises not of their making. The world economy slips into recession, and more people suffer and die and flee from harsh economic conditions. A vicious cycle.”

A mere week has gone by since the first bombs fell on Iran. Eleven countries are drawn into the conflagration so far. Professor Jeffrey Sachs is not ruling out a path to World War 3. Even with that to think about, you and I have to remain calm for sanity’s sake.

But this must be stated. Americans have an outsized duty to the rest of the world, a great obligation. They must be especially smart and street-savvy in how they stand up to Trump, how they push back against GOP interference in November.

And this, too, must be sculpted in stone. And with anger attached. You Americans encumbered us with the nightmare. You must extricate us from the curse.

Mark Wignall is a political and public affairs analyst. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and mawigsr@gmail.com