Our troops, our American warriors, deserve the credit for this day, but God deserves all the glory. Tens of thousands of sorties, refuelings, and strikes carried out under the protection of divine providence; a massive effort with miraculous protection.
The US military accidentally struck an Iranian elementary school, in an attack that state media said killed at least 168 children and 14 teachers, likely due to outdated information about a nearby naval base, according to two sources briefed on the preliminary findings of an ongoing military investigation.
We’re certainly investigating. But the only side that targets civilians is Iran.
America, regardless of what so-called international institutions say, is unleashing the most lethal and precise air power campaign in history. . . . No stupid rules of engagement, no nation-building quagmire, no democracy building exercise, no politically correct wars.
At least 2,076 people have been killed by US-Israeli attacks on Iran since February 28 . . . 240 women and 212 children are among those killed. Over 26,500 people have been injured, including at least 4,000 women and 1,621 children.
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.
Pete Hegseth claims divine guidance and protection for America’s war on Iran, giving “glory to God” for every video game explosion that snuffs out a human life created in the image and likeness of God. His embrace of Christian nationalism from the Pentagon pulpit violates the Constitution and desecrates the very Christianity he seeks to force onto the members of the US military, all Americans, and the grieving Iranian families who have lost innocents to precision-guided missiles that cannot discriminate between combatants and school girls. Despite millennia of prayers for victory by soldiers heading to battle, God does not take sides in war. Pete Hegseth’s perversion of Christianity has led to direct conflict between the Pentagon and Vatican representatives of Pope Leo XIV. See Newsweek, The Pentagon Threatened Pope Leo XIV’s Ambassador With the Avignon Papacy. Per Newsweek, a Pentagon representative told a Vatican envoy that the Church had better align itself with the US, alluding to the Avignon Papacy. For those unfamiliar with the Avignon Papacy, it refers to a 68-year period (1309–1377) during which the Catholic papacy was relocated from Rome to southern France and dominated by the French crown.¹ In context, the allusion was a threat to the independence of the Catholic Church (my gloss, not stated in the Newsweek article). Pope Leo has been directly critical of statements by Trump and Hegseth. In response to Trump’s threat to “destroy” a “whole civilization,” Pope Leo said,
America Magazine, Pope Leo: Trump’s threat to destroy Iran ‘truly unacceptable’. Religious leaders of every denomination should condemn Hegseth’s invocation of divine providence in an unholy war that is flouting the so-called “stupid rules of engagement” that exist to protect civilians. There are many grounds for impeaching and removing Trump and Hegseth. Among those reasons should be their blatant attempt to “establish” Christianity as the religion of the US military and their deliberate refusal to abide by the laws of war, the Geneva Convention, and the UN Charter. Opportunities for Reader EngagementJoin me as I host Dan Osborn at my home and meet the independent candidate for US Senate from Nebraska.
In-person meeting with Oath co-founder in Manhattan, NYC, on April 13, at 6:30 p.m.
Concluding ThoughtsI am sending an abbreviated. newsletter this evening because Jill and I attended the Bruce Springsteen concert in Los Angeles on Thursday evening. It was a late night, and we are boarding a flight in a few hours to visit our daughter, granddaughters, and son-in-law in Tennessee for the weekend (and I still haven’t packed!). Bruce Springsteen is a proud member of the resistance and outspoken defender of democracy. I will write more tomorrow, but for tonight, let me say that he began the concert with a prayer for the safe return of our troops, then sang War (“What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!), and followed with “Born in the USA.” A few songs into his set, he sang “The Streets of Minneapolis,” a touching and powerful ballad about the bravery and example of the people of Minneapolis. Bruce also delivered two “spoken word” sets that directly addressed the lawlessness of the Trump administration. He closed the concert with a plea for unity and a call for activism. If only only every major star would use their celebrity to speak out against Trump and urge Americans to defend the rule of law we would be further along in out effort to reclaim our democracy. There is a reason they call Bruce Springsteen “the Boss.” I will be traveling much of Friday and joining our granddaughters, daughter, and son-in-law for dinner on Friday evening, so I will send a short(ish) newsletter for Saturday morning, and I will not hold my regular Saturday livestream. Talk to you tomorrow! |
