Sunday, March 29, 2026

What's different about the No Kings protests March 28, 2026

What I saw in the TV coverage left me with the impression that not only were the numbers higher than in the prior No Kings, but that there was greater diversity in age and race, with handheld posters and banners supporting a wider range of public policy issues than we saw in the initial protest events. The difference now is that political science theory has met negative impact on people's lives after a year of Trump's second term. Trump has managed to anger more people in one year. Experience is always the best teacher. More are learning the lesson that democracy is worth fighting for. It is more than just venting protests: it is indeed solidifying into a pro-democracy movement.

An increasing number and wider variety of voters now get that without democracy, their own desires will be ignored and their voices will be suppressed, even if their views are supported by more than a 58-60% majority.  Trump, in his delusions of unbridled power, has ignored many, reneging on promises he made, from affordability to avoiding foreign wars. Furthermore, he and his appointees have been acting with cruelty and armed force, while he has been using fear with his tools of abuse of power to enact revenge and retribution. Patriotism to him is loyalty to him, and he acts like it, using vengeance, abusing power, using it against those who oppose him, suppressing their voices in the media, and limiting voting access

Trump, the wannabe dictator,  has confused loyalty to Trump with loyalty to America. In his view, if you are not loyal to him, you are un-American. They are not the same: loyalty to Trump is not loyalty to the oath taken by public officials and military to be loyal to the Constitution and a government of, by, and for the people that respects and abides by the rule of law.  If what Trump wants to do runs afoul of the laws conforming to the intent of the Constitution, he ignores them, defies them, or finds a workaround to what was the original intent. No staff person, no GOP-dominated legislature, stops him. He condemns judges, even those he appointed, who dare rule against his interests, subjecting them to violence and threats of violence by Trump partisans. 

By refusing to bow down to fear, over eight million responded on March 28, feeling safe in numbers nationwide by putting their bodies on the line in dispersed masses, appearing with joy, sometimes humor, and ridicule. This has become a pro-democracy movement under the unifying umbrella and realization that, without democracy, those with their own agendas and priorities would be ground in the dust by an overpowering, out-of-control, mad King wannabe dictator acting as if he were already one.

The reaction by MAGA is mostly ignoring this pro-democracy movement. They do it at their own peril, and the polls are reflecting that. We are no longer a 50-50 divided nation.  We are near 60-40.  https://mufticforumblog.blogspot.com/2026/03/we-are-non-longer-nation-that-is.html.  

Friday, March 27, 2026

Hegseth and Trump threaten war crimes in Iran. See them in the Hague someday?

 Yesterday, Pete Hegseth prayed for violence. He is the same one who called the rules of engagement such as the Geneva Convention, "stupid" and would ignore them.

https://www.military.com/feature/2026/03/05/hegseths-stupid-rules-of-engagement-line-and-what-roe-actually-do.html

The stupid rules of war came into being after World War II in response to the atrocities committed against civilians. Nuremberg and the Hague tribunals have hung or imprisoned many; most recently, the Hague was active, spurred by the ethnic cleansing of the Balkan wars of the 1990's. I have never heard of a public official with great power at the onset of any war anywhere advocating war crimes by prayer until Hegseth implied it. He is a religious fanatic and a throwback to the Middle Ages and the Crusades. Then Trump chimed in.

He fancies himself as the Dark Ages crusader who wears the Crusader cross on his chest and sees himself in a holy war as a follower of a church that believes in violence to advance their religion. Hegseth is a member of the worst extreme sect of the Christian religion.

Prayed Hegseth:“Let every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation. Give them wisdom in every decision, endurance for the trial ahead, unbreakable unity, and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy.”

See you at the Hague someday if you act this out in Iran.

Then, to compound this, Donald Trump echoed that he would knowingly commit war crimes by destroying Iran's power plants hat keep

See you in the Hague, DJT, if you carry that one out..

Geneva Conventions per Google AIThe Geneva Conventions are a set of four international treaties (1949) and three additional protocols that form the cornerstone of international humanitarian law. They establish legal standards for humanitarian treatment during war, protecting people not taking part in fighting (civilians, medics) and those who can no longer fight (wounded, prisoners of war).
The Four Geneva Conventions of 1949:
  • First Convention: Protects wounded and sick soldiers on land during war.
  • Second Convention: Protects wounded, sick, and shipwrecked military personnel at sea.
  • Third Convention: Applies to prisoners of war (POWs), requiring humane treatment, adequate food, and medical care
    .
  • Fourth Convention: Protects civilians, including those in occupied territories.
Key Principles and Scope:
  • Universal Ratification: All 196 states have ratified the 1949 conventions, making them universally binding.
  • Common Article 3: Applies to non-international armed conflicts (civil wars), ensuring minimum protections.
  • Core Protections: Prohibits torture, murder, cruel treatment, and outrages upon personal dignity.
  • Protection of Medical Facilities: Medical personnel, units, and transport must be respected and protected.
  • Additional Protocols: 1977 and 2005 protocols added protections for victims of both international and non-international conflicts.
The conventions are overseen by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and aim to limit the barbarity of war.
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