“AND I’M GOING TO SLAP HIM SILLY BECAUSE HE DID!”
On Friday, August 1, Donald Trump stated that he had ordered two US nuclear submarines to be “repositioned in the appropriate areas” as a response to a statement made by Dimitry Medvedev, one of Vlad Putin’s close advisors and a former president of the Russian state.
This is high-stakes theater at its most hilarious, or it would be if it wasn’t also extremely dangerous for the entire world.
So, really what did Medvedev say and why did Trump feel the need to respond so forcefully, not only with his rhetoric but also with the action described above?
“Trump’s playing the ultimatum game with Russia: 50 days or 10… He should remember 2 things: 1. Russia isn’t Israel or even Iran. 2. Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war,” –Dimitry Medvedev
To which, of course Trump couldn’t resist answering.
“…tell Medvedev, the failed former President of Russia, who thinks he’s still President, to watch his words. He’s entering very dangerous territory!” — Donald Trump
All this culminated with his announcement that he had ordered the subs into position. What a joke! What a farce! What a circus! The comedy of this exceeds even that of the recent 12-day “war” with Iran which ended with the US strikes on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities and Iran’s subsequent strike on al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, all of which were given advance notice so as to not let the situation escalate out of hand. Blow for show, in other words, akin to the ridiculous “sport” known as professional wrestling.
The only problem is that we might all be blown to smithereens if something goes horribly wrong.
- Trump ordered two nuclear subs into the “appropriate area”, just in case. Well, just in case, what exactly?
- Are these subs nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed? This is a big difference and highly crucial. Nuclear-powered subs with conventional weapons are not the same as nuclear-armed subs which can take out an entire country with one salvo.
- Did the Pentagon actually send these subs to their new coordinates or was this “order” simply ignored because wiser heads decided not to follow it and only played along with the game, stroking Trump’s ego so he could feel like he’s really in control?
- Has Russia responded to Trump’s “repositioning” by doing some of their own? Did they already have subs in position somewhere off the eastern seaboard of the Atlantic Ocean, say, 500 miles east of New Jersey, ready at a moment’s notice to take out Washington, D.C., New York City, Philadelphia, and Boston? Is this a legitimate possibility?
Trump, for all the good he has done in educating the average American about the dangers of being subservient to the Deep State, sounds like he has taken his own words to heart, believing that all he has to do is issue ultimatums, threats, and veiled insinuations at which everyone else, including his own closest enemies, will repent of their sins with fear and trembling. “B’God, those pesky Russians, especially Medvedev, had better shut their potty mouths and start listening to me. Or else!”
The major problem with this is that he has offered up so much bullshit in the past that he has no credibility left on the world stage when he speaks. Remember that he promised to end the Ukraine War in twenty-four hours once he had gained the Oval Office? Yeah, well, things aren’t quite as simple as they appeared when he was playing to throngs of adoring audiences on the campaign trail.
Trump, in my opinion, is increasingly seen as someone who can be ignored and sidelined. He is not consistent, does not act diplomatically, refuses to hold to his word even when it hurts, bluffs constantly, and does not hesitate to change course politically if he thinks it will benefit him. Compared to this, Vladimir Putin comes across as reasonable, calm, logical, unmoving, and steadfast.
But, then, what should I expect? After all, I did compare Trump to a wrecking ball, appointed only to destroy what already is to clear the way for what will be. With all due respect to that, I am not disappointed. It is happening. In real time. And we get to watch it unfold.
Hang on to your life. Trump isn’t going to.
Poor Roger's Almanac 
There is much about Trump’s statement that makes no sense, while, at the same time, serves only to raise the temperature on the most deadly game on earth.
These submarines (assuming nuclear armed) are always in position as they are meant as retaliatory, or second strike weapon delivery systems. They need not be extremely close to the targets to fire in any case. Second, once positioned, they really do not move, to avoid detection.
Finally, Russia has plenty such subs, and, as you note, they are equally properly positioned.
So why raise the heat by making a statement that is so devoid of even basic knowledge of the workings of this strategic asset?
We may have gone from mentally incompetent (Biden) to completely deranged, or at least totally unhinged (Trump). Heaven help us, what’s next?
“We may have gone from mentally incompetent (Biden) to completely deranged, or at least totally unhinged (Trump). Heaven help us, what’s next?”
I do not know what is going to happen tomorrow, but I can speculate that, because of what is happening today, tomorrow will probably be worse.
Biden was certifiably mentally incompetent. Trump, in my opinion, is unhinged and deranged, like a loose cannon careening back and forth on a ship’s deck in a wildly destructive, smashing session caused by gale-force winds exerting their influence on a sea of change. Yet, the possibility exists (remote perhaps) that he knows what he is doing and is acting in a scripted, controlled manner–playing to the masses in a persona in which he APPEARS deranged and unhinged, yet is cold and calculating throughout. Sort of like the Scarlet Pimpernel.
Why does he make statements like those? It may be part of a greater scheme designed only to fool the general population. Magicians distract audiences. Wizards of Oz operate behind curtains placed strategically. It is far more likely, however, that he has always been a bully making threats and issuing ultimatums, thereby gaining victories over cowed opponents. The Art of the Deal means that I browbeat and bludgeon you into submission to my will. It may have worked in the past in his private life, but unfortunately, in the real world of politics, such actions have direct and dire consequences for which the entire world will suffer.
If Trump is a loose cannon, the urgent matter of the moment is to get him brought to a halt before he smashes through the side of the ship and sinks it.
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