District of Dystopia

Veteran politician and civil-rights pioneer John Lewis dealt a masterstroke against the TRump administration going into the Martin Luther King, Jr. day weekend. Remembrances of King and the Freedom Marchers will be magnified today as Americans reflect on Lewis' sacrifices alongside the black Moses. TRump's reflective deficit disorder landed him in trouble when he retaliated against Lewis for passing on the inauguration. +Reince Preibus dug the hole deeper by calling Lewis' decision "insanity." If you think that's insanity, Reince, just wait until Friday.

Riot by Jean-Claude Dufourd

The word "inauguration" originates in the Latin inauguratio or "installment under good omens." Rest assured, there will be no such inauguration for TRump. Other than the no-shows by Democratic officialdom, other omens bode ill for the 45th President. The groundwork is already being laid with marches that began last Saturday and will continue through the week. VIPs coming from out of town this Friday morning may be excessively delayed on certain routes by Antifascists of D.C. (staging "breakdowns" in key traffic choke points?) as attendees motor in from the airports or Joint Airbase Andrews. Nearly one million demonstrators will swarm around the Mall and Pennsylvania Avenue in organized, intentional chaos. Many of the protesters will attempt to block ticketed guests from entering the ceremony. Guests that make it in will have a hard time hearing anything above the din of jeers from the rabble.

Police and National Guard units expect to counter violent outbreaks, but they will be outnumbered about 25-to-1 by demonstrators, so they will have their hands full stopping several #DisruptJ20 incursions, security violations, and fights between pro- and anti-TRumpists. Bikers for TRump plans to position their hemorrhoidal heft in a "wall of meat" between their exalted TRump and the wailing hordes of protesters.

Terrorists can enjoy a day off on Friday watching the U.S.A. gnash on itself, not only in the Capital, but in hundreds of other cities across the country. Let's hope terrorists realize that it would be supremely stupid for them to interfere with this schism, because if and when they do conduct another large-scale terror attack in the U.S., the new battle cry will become #AmericanLivesMatter, and our collective outrage will override the divided polity on display in this most inauspicious inauguration.

A Possible End to The 4th Turning

Lately, Al Qaeda and it's more evil offspring, ISIS, have been the center of attention in the erstwhile named Global War on Terror. In terms of state-sponsored terrorism, however, no organization exceeds the Iranian Quds force record for defiance of the U.S. in the Middle East. All three networks must be defeated to extricate us from our current fourth turning. Expect a lot more U.S. military activity in the region under our next Commander-in-Chief.

According to an op-ed in the the New York Times, 

Mr. Trump’s immediate position on the Iran deal will be one of the first critical tests for his presidency. 

[If the treaty is abandoned,] because the international coalition that previously supported sanctions on Iran will not be put back together, America’s economic leverage on Iran will be much weaker, increasing the likelihood that Iran will ramp up its nuclear program, and in turn, increasing the risk of American military action.

Photo by Waiting for the Word

In addition to forestalling the Iranian nuclear program, other provocations could trigger an American military attack:

• Iran attacking any other country
• Takeover of Iraq by Quds force elements
• Oil shipment disruptions in the Gulf
• Terrorist attacks in the U.S.

Rather than satisfy himself with setting back Iran's nuclear and military capabilities for a couple of years, our future President would most likely follow through with an invasion of Iran by a coalition force to ensure regime change that favors U.S. interests in the Middle East. 

Along with Trump's expressed intention to hammer ISIS, regime change in Iran would be key to the resolution of our crisis, allowing us to proceed into the regeneration (Spring) phase of our secular cycle. If I were President, I don't know if I would choose a different course.

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah...

If you could blow up the world with the flick of a switch
Would you do it? 

If you could make everybody poor just so you could be rich
Would you do it? 

If you could watch everybody work while you just lay on your back
Would you do it? 

If you could take all the love without giving any back                                               Would you do it? 

 And so we cannot know ourselves or what we'd really do... 

 
With all your power  

With all your power 

 With all your power 

 What would you do?     

 
- The Flaming Lips