Pres Kennedy had read “The Guns of August,” Tuchman’s the Pulitzer-winning account of how European leaders bungled the World into war in 1914, shortly before the U.S. learned the Soviet Union was building launch sites for missiles in Cuba. [FN1] To paraphrase JFK: 1/9

“I will not bungle our way into war as did Europe.” A president reading works of history to guide our country seems silly today. I mean literally today. The header on Thom Hartmann’s blog today stopped me. [FN2] Hartmann is a good researcher and, as usual, he got to the point. 2/9

“In 2021, China & Iran became military allies [] Russia signed a similar” agreement w/Iran last year. The countries are now military allies, formally assisting each other. [FN3] Imposition of a blockade is an act of war. [FN4] In 1914, treaties of mutual aid between various 3/9

European powers dragged the World into the horrors of what became WW1. On 6/28/14, Archduke Ferdinand, the Austrian heir apparent, and his wife, were assassinated. War was not formally declared until August. Bungling took time. [FN5] We face possible world war. 4/9

Iran has formidable allies. Russia is mired in their invasion of Ukraine, but Russia has plenty of nukes that can be delivered by ICBMs. China has missile systems developed tech to take out big ships, i.e., aircraft carriers. [FN6] Then consider dear exalted leader... 5/9

trump views himself as being Jesus (he posted that depiction for a reason) and heaps delusions on other delusions. trump is stupid [FN7] with his limited intellect being hacked away by stress and age. This has to stop before this stupid bastard blows up the planet. 6/9

Footnotes:
FN1. Barbara W Tuchman, “The Guns of August,” (1962).
FN2. Thom Hartman, “Did Trump Just Light a Fuse He Can’t Control? The Strait of Hormuz crisis could be following the same path that led to World War I…” The Hartmann Report, 4/13/26. 7/9

FN3. Id.
FN4. Declaration Respecting Maritime Law adopted in Paris on 16 April 1856; articles 1-21 of the Declaration Concerning the Laws of Naval War, 26 February 1909; San Remo Manual on
International Law Applicable to Armed Conflicts at Sea (SRM), 12 June 1994. 8/9

FN5. See Tuchman, pp. 71-133.
FN6. Steve Balestrieri, “How Do You Sink a $13,000,000,000 Navy Aircraft Carrier? A $15,000,000 Missile from China,” 1945, 12/29/25, accessed 4/13/26.
FN7. That prof at Penn had it right: dumbest goddamn student the prof ever had. 9/9