I think I may have just said this, in so many words: Certainty is the enemy. Because others are just as certain about opposite things. And the world will not survive such conflicts of moral certainty; survival of the human race, in the long term, is about getting over tribal mentality. The morally literate, responsible, thing to do is to be certain of nothing, live your life by principles instead, and let others judge your moral maturity by your actions, and principles, not your commitments to this god or that god.
Salon, Chauncey DeVega, 10 Mar 2026: Trump’s moral crusade is dangerous for America — and the world, subtitled “The president casts himself as the ultimate authority on good and evil — and believes it is his job to enforce it”
Donald Trump imagines himself as a moral crusader fighting the forces of evil at home and abroad. But his morality is not guided by ethics, humanism or respect for the common good. The president instead relies on himself, something he made explicit in a January 2026 interview with the New York Times. “My own morality,” he replied when asked if he observed any constraints on his power to use the military, including invading other countries. “My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.”
In his mind, Trump is the beginning, end and final judge of what constitutes right and wrong — and he feels free to impose his dogma on America and the rest of the world. His is a totalistic mindset, and it’s one of the defining features of a personality cult like MAGA.
In the president’s framework, “good” is defined as those who support him and MAGA. “Evil” means those who dare to oppose him and his agenda. In this zero-sum view of the world, any perceived enemies must not merely be defeated but vanquished altogether. Now, in the wake of Trump’s expanding war with Iran, that framework has multiple faces at home and abroad.
Once again: certainty, intuition (no principles), zero-sum view of the world, good vs. evil. Trump, and by extension his supporters.
Applied domestically, his belief is antithetical to American democracy and pluralism because it makes compromise, consensus politics and respect for institutions a virtual impossibility. You cannot negotiate with evil. Trump and other leaders on the right have repeatedly attacked Democrats, liberals, progressives and other perceived enemies as evil, “poison in the blood” of the nation and “the enemies within,” “takers” and “parasites,” and as un-American traitors. These phrases are examples of stochastic terrorism: language designed to inspire violence without directly ordering it. Research has shown that this kind of rhetoric encourages political violence and eliminationism.
Simplistic. Binary. Literal.
Internationally, Trump’s simplistic, binary moral framework undermines the rules-based international order because it negates the role played by shared interests, pragmatism and common values. As seen in Iran, this mindset also encourages armed conflict and makes de-escalation difficult to impossible.
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Christian nationalists and eschatologists truly believe that Trump’s war against Iran is not just a strategic necessity — it is demanded by Biblical prophecy. In their interpretation, such a war will bring about the prophesied End Times, the return of their God to Earth, the final defeat of evil and the Rapture of the saved.
They’ve been saying this for thousands of years. It’s never worked. Let’s call this… historical illiteracy. It’s a rejection of easily demonstrated principles of how history happens, how history is written down, how stories get made and remade and remade over the centuries to suit the taste of whoever is in power at the time. It’s to resort to the extremely naive claim that the King James Version of the Bible is true, because God dictated it. Pshaw. People who claim that have such have a child’s mentality.
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Paul Krugman, 10 Mar 2026: Why I Don’t Speak American, subtitled “And why it’s a problem that Pete Hegseth says he does”
A video, summarized:
At a summit with Latin American leaders over the weekend, Marco Rubio said a few words in Spanish. Then Pete Hegseth popped up to say “I only speak American.” And that’s why we’re facing disaster in the Persian Gulf.
Belligerent ignorance, in this administration. “Deliberately being dumb is not good policy.”
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Briefly noted.
- AlterNet, Sarah K. Burris, 10 Mar 2026: Even MAGA is questioning Trump after he taps Erika Kirk for Air Force Academy board
- Because this administration is tribal: qualifications and competence don’t count, only connections.
- JMG, 10 Mar 2026: Hegseth Reads From Bible To Conclude War Briefing
- These people are dimwits. They have no understanding about the intentions of the Founding Fathers; they think the Bible is literally true; they tribally think their own beliefs must apply to everyone. This is embarrassing.
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[Not another picture of Hegseth.]
- JMG, from Washington Post, 9 Mar 2026: US Used $5.6B In Missiles In First Two Days Of War
- For Republicans, there’s never money to help the poor, or schoolchildren, or fund investments in science. But for war, against brown people, cost is not an issue. They’re spending billions.
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- What a moron, and petty tyrant.
- JMG: WSJ: Trump Is Giving Same Shoes To All Male Bigwigs, Insider Says “Everybody Is Afraid Not To Wear Them”
- He wants everyone to wear his favorite shoes, Florsheim, and so is buying everyone in sight Florsheim shoes, which they feel obligated to wear. And Trump has only guessed people’s shoe size. Think how this plays out… Ouch.
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The greatest Philip Glass work is his Symphony #5, a long choral work based on religious texts from around the world. More than ecumenical. Philosophical; worldly. And full of beautiful arias and thrilling orchestral accompaniments.
Here’s a video link to the second-to-last movement of a 12-movement symphony. Click through to the last movement, and then listen through. Thrilling.
