What is war good for?

I haven’t expected much of Donald Trump. He has always been a grifter, bamboozler, predator and cheater. His sexual escapades are well documented. He has a conviction for at least one of them. Trump is working to keep the Epstein files under wraps. Who knows what stories they will reveal.

The egregious miscalculation of the attack on Iran is proving deadly. Does he think he can bomb a sovereign nation – no matter how heinous it might be – and go completely unnoticed?

Stupidity and malfeasance make a deadly cocktail. Does anyone think he might be asking himself, “what was I thinking?”

The answer is no. No strategic thinking or planning was behind the bombing of a girl’s school. Over 150 women and girls were blown to smithereens. There is no apology on President Trump’s lips. It is full steam ahead.

Now the Strait of Hormuz, where over 20% of the world’s oil finds its way to market, is closed to boat traffic.

Nicholas Kristoff, in the Washington Post, posed this question, “Does Trump think he can begin a war and think there will be no consequences? The enemy gets a vote on this.”

With the Strait closed, prices are skyrocketing. Gas prices are soaring. Airplane tickets are more expensive. Goods and services, already priced higher because of Trump’s tariffs, are rising even more. A public already squeezed by higher costs will be further financially punished. There are some economists projecting a recession on the horizon.

Where are the adults in the room? Here, on the eve of the 250th year of Democracy in America, the future is tarnished by the decision-making of a lunatic King.

In 1970, at the height of the Viet Nam war, Edwin Starr recorded a song… War, that became a sensation. In the lyrics, Star asks, “War. What is it good for? Absolutely nothing.”

War robs us of future generations of young people. It fills graveyards and leaves families with empty chairs at the table. It reveals leadership that cannot negotiate. What happened to the Art of the Deal? Was that theory another pitch that hasn’t worked out?

Creating distraction and chaos is a gift Donald Trump has. I hear “Squirrel” coming from every port. One reporter called Trump’s Modis operandi “cognitive dissonance.” The leader claims up is down and down is up. In a cult, the sycophants believe what the leader says.

When I was working in the church, I would often tell people not to leave their brain in the Narthex. Test what you hear in scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. If something seems off kilter, it likely is.

There was a time in American history when civic institutions, like Kiwanis and Rotary expressed their beliefs in creeds. These creeds outlined a way of living that is right with God and other people. Is it fair to all concerned? Is it the truth? Will it build goodwill and friendships?

There is no such thing as “alternative facts.” Believe what you see with your own eyes. Stay informed with trusteed voices relaying news.

Beware of charlatans – in the church, in the congress, in the news. Read broadly, reflect critically, and hang on for dear life.

Lib Campbell is a retired Methodist pastor, retreat leader, columnist and host of the blogsite www.avirtualchurch.com. She can be contacted at libcam05@gmail.com