How Ludicrous is Trump’s Threat to Send Troops into Panama?

 

The following link is to an article of mine posted by Jacobin yesterday:

https://jacobin.com/2025/01/trump-latin-america-china-trade

Trump's threats to take over the Panama Canal, convert Canada into the 51st state, and purchase Greenland may not be as ludicrous as they seemed. The proposals, albeit unachievable, lay the groundwork for a more "rational" strategy of targeting China (not so much Russia) and singling out real adversaries (as opposed to Canada and Panama), which include Cuba and Venezuela, with Bolivia not far behind. 

The main thesis in the article is that the “intelligent” members of Trump’s administration, namely the neo-cons and other right-wingers (Marco Rubio, for example) will end up dictating U.S. foreign policy. But there is another factor, namely, that as a right-wing populist Trump is playing to his base. His threats to send troops into Panama and Greenland are bold moves. That’s what his base gets off on. Invading Cuba and Venezuela, or threatening to do so, is too old stuff to rile up his base. In addition, the possibility of getting concessions from Panama, Denmark and Canada over trade, shipping costs, etc. would also work to his political advantage. In that case he would boast of how he put to practice “The Art of the Deal” which would provide him with much-needed political capital.

Another Example of How the U.S. Military Industrial Complex Eclipses Human Needs

 

The Center for American Progress, hardly a leftist think tank, wrote “Even as Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy [both billionaires] talk about cutting trillions in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, they have been silent about efficient defense spending.” The report went on to state that up until now, Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has failed to insist that the Department of Defense pass an audit.  

“BURN BABY BURN” and the Los Angeles Fires

The Los Angeles fires should call to question the rationale of the slogan “burn-baby-burn.” Instead, Trump and his Republican cohorts are blaming the governor of CA and the mayor of Los Angeles. Why doesn’t the [corporate] media point out this incongruency? Complicity?

 

ONE NATION WHERE ELECTORAL FRAUD OCCURS INVADES ANOTHER COUNTRY ON GROUNDS THAT THEIR ELECTIONS WERE RIGGED

Marco Rubio is calling on Trump to invade Venezuela. Just consider the absurdity. Trump, who claims that electoral fraud was committed in 2020 that robbed him of the presidency, will invade Venezuela because of rigged elections.

The Main Takeaway from “From Ground Zero”: Gazans are Heroic People

 

Yesterday I saw “From Ground Zero: Stories from Gaza," a documentary consisting of 22 episodes illustrating the daily existence of Palestinians in Gaza. The movie contains very few scenes of tears in spite of the incredible suffering of these brave people, including children. What most moved me were the scenes of expression of hope and pride of being Gazans. The most powerful scene was a group in a tent singing songs of hope and faith in the future (see photo above). All this in the text of a Genocide committed by the Israeli government that shows no more mercy than the Nazis did in World War II. I couldn't help but compare this with the 2000 years of suffering of the Jews in their Diaspora. It's hard for me to understand how Israeli Jews, or Jews anywhere, are unable to miss this obvious comparison between their own history and the sorrow fate of the Palestinian people.

https://pauline.org/film-tv-reviews/from-ground-zero-stories-from-gaza-the-human-face-of-war/?fbclid=IwY2xjawHxRDRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHeEraSbDM9gQ_rTO6EFP-NA0CVuF2sWrtTV-Ct0UodmPZNQoEuK0kSP-Hw_aem_V7kxUccA3cKFlnG4SNIP7w