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Trump Effect 14

April 1, 2026 by Guest Post

by Linda Schmitt, Corvallis

War. Deaths. Oil. This is your guy, MAGA. This is your hero.  

There was an agreement, the JCPOA, that stabilized the relationship with Iran until 2030. Slowed the development of nuclear materials, ensured inspection of nuclear facilities, obtained the cooperation of Iranian officialdom. The JCPOA took years to develop, negotiate and finally sign. 

Your guy trashed that agreement. Why? Because he “didn’t like it.”  Said it was garbage. He took the years-long intense efforts of many dedicated international experts who knew that with determination we could have a treaty with Iran that protected the West. And we did. Until Trump. So now we have what he does like, War.   

Aircraft carrier Gerald Ford limping back to port, damaged in the conflict. Some 5000 sailors on board, diverted back to safe harbor. In the air, 3.7 million dollar US missiles challenged by 50,000 dollar drones. Multimillion dollar jets crashed in action. Servicemen and women killed, and Trump says with remarkable ease, “There will be more.” 

We were not being threatened by Iran.  Iran has had nuclear materials for decades, in an uncomfortable but reliable detente in that region of the world. Diplomacy, spycraft, intelligence and regional forays characterize the neighborhood. True for many years. So why are we at war? 

They call it the Jolene Doctrine. A clever commentator quotes Dolly Parton’s song where she sings, “Jolene, Jolene, don’t take my man away, just because you can.” Your guy, bored with golf, talk, parties, blowing up small craft, bullying other leaders, discovered he had command of an Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines. And Bibi was feeling needy. So let’s go!  Let’s blow it all, “just because he can.” 

Your dead sons and daughters don’t matter. Our national treasure squandered. Our military might wasted on an impossible conflict. Don’t even bring up Strait of Hormuz. Not to mention Al-Mandab Strait, controlled by Iran’s ally Yemen. You know — the strait that controls the Red Sea, at the bottom of the Suez Canal. Military strategy be damned. Goals and objectives, who needs them? National unity, who cares? Trump’s ego uber alles. 

I still say, why? 

This is your guy, MAGA. Your hero. 

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Filed Under: Opinion

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Comments

  1. Kevin says

    April 1, 2026 at 11:41 AM

    Linda, why are you so gullible? Were not being threatened by Iran?? They do get pretty friendly when you give them PALLOTS of cash.

    • Craig L Johnson says

      April 6, 2026 at 9:23 AM

      the “pallots of cash” was iran’s money held by the us. Iran is a threat to no one except those that attack it. Netanyahu has been pushing for an attack on iran for 40 years. israel has always been claiming iran is a week away from a nuclear weapon. But israel was finally able to find an administration and congress(republicans and democrats) who were dumb enough to do it. We have been screwing the iranians since the 1950’s.
      -overthrow of the democratically elected president(mossadech) and installation of the brutal dictator shah
      -supplying iraq with chemical weapons that were used to kill iranian’s.
      -shooting down the civilian airliner in 1988, killing 290 men women and children
      – recently bombing a school twice and killing 170 children
      Iran has every right to hate the US and Israel, i don’t blame them one bit.

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