Trump Elected: The True MAGA Era Begins, Now What?

[Beau]

The renaming of the Western "departments of war" into the Orwellian "departments of Defense" is another such move away from the postwar order - interesting that the US just reverted back to "department of War".

Yes. I don't have any issue with the renaming, since that is what that department IS managing. Calling it the Dept. of Defense feels like it was partly done just to mollify liberals and pearl-clutchers who didn't like the idea of a department of war, but if they are just "defending" well that just feels better on the inside. That's basically the intent behind all the nonsensical rules-based order. Nevermind that there is nothing defensive about the DoD and Pentagon. The US was always doing offensive war so might as well call the department what it is instead of the Orwellian double-speak it's been since WWII.

And really, this is another Trump move that's mainly about optics and vibes. Just like renaming Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America. He's not about to turn into some warmonger blitzing through Central and South America taking over countries. He's not going to start ordering every random big boat to be bombed either. He makes calculated moves that are as much about creating political capital than anything else. So it's good to see that Vance "doesn't give a shit." People should be happy that there are finally leaders who are through with that nonsense and are being straight instead of the two-faced liars who have run the US for 80 years.

 

[Possibility of Being]

Some thoughts on the drug trade and blaming other countries:

And yet a few more.

Not sure where the 'problem' lies? Defending the US citizens from a weaponized chemical compound by force by a branch that is constitutionally authorized to do so, saves lives.

Let's face it: This is a very recent report by Research Nester with the HQ in NY predicting and basically encouraging the Big Pharma to produce more of Fentanyl. A few quotes:

[that's about the legal market]

Fentanyl Market in 2025 is evaluated at USD 17.92 billion. The global Market size surpassed USD 17.02 billion in 2024 and is projected to witness a CAGR of over 6.6%, crossing USD 39.07 billion revenue by 2037. North America is poised to cross USD 13.67 billion by 2037, fueled by growing population, research activity, and the increasing affordability of advanced cancer treatments in North America. ...

Moreover, increasing global healthcare spending is estimated to boost the growth of the global fentanyl market. ...

The North American fentanyl market is projected to hold the largest market share of about 35% by the end of 2037, attributed to the growing population and research activity; ...

Companies Dominating the Fentanyl Landscape

• Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.
• Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH
• Bayer AG
• Novartis AG
• Sanofi-aventis Groupe
• Abbott Laboratories
• Merck & Co., Inc.
• Validus Pharmaceuticals LLC
• Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.
• Siemens Healthcare GmbH

All "because of cancer".

There seems to be no evidence that fentanyl is coming from Venezuela. If it is coming from abroad, it seems to be mostly from or through Mexico. The DEA stated in 2020 that fentanyl precursors come in from China and India to Mexico and then to the US.

Most of those corporations listed above, if not all, have their factories in Mexico. The one on the top even has on its Wiki entry information of a court case due to its close ties with the Gulf Cartel - "a criminal syndicate, drug trafficking organization, perhaps one of the oldest organized crime groups in Mexico". Given criminal history of one kind or another of about each of them, it would be naïve IMO to think they are not among the biggest suppliers for the criminal drug trade mafias.

The fish rots from the head down.

Opiods, statins, vaccines, to name a few. Brought you by the legal pharm mafia.

Yup. And via their "somehow less" legal activities, most likely.

Pretty much. Trump's attack on the "drug boat" was, IMO, a show of force that has little to do with drugs and everything to do with trying to cow Venezuela (and by implication other LA countries) into staying aligned (or realigning) with the US.

There was nothing about "drugs" in that attack - that's just a narrative for international public and US citizens who don't pay attention or suffer from short memory. I think it's all put in place nicely in the video below, it's worth your time (20 min).

 

[rognaill]

Calling it the Dept. of Defense feels like it was partly done just to mollify liberals and pearl-clutchers who didn't like the idea of a department of war, but if they are just "defending"

Great points Beau and I wanted to add that the irony here is that using DoD service members to "defend" the US borders causes everyone to lose their you know what.

 

[luc]

Well, for one thing it doesn't seem to work at all. Wouldn't the opposite approach of legalizing hard drugs and basically leaving it up to the self-responsibility of each citizen be a better approach? It could also put the cartels out of business (and probably reduce the CIA black budgets considerably).

In an ideal world, sure, but in this world there is no doubt that drug consumption is not only demand-driven, but also supply-driven, see Crack epidemic, Opium war etc. The issue here is that the "supply side" is deeply embedded in the system (CIA etc.), but that doesn't mean it can be shrugged off, quite the contrary.

 

[Beau]

Great points Beau and I wanted to add that the irony here is that using DoD service members to "defend" the US borders causes everyone to lose their you know what.

Not everyone. Majority of Americans voted for better control of the southern border, one way or the other. People losing their minds are the vocal minority and anti-Trump agitators in the media.

Also, this is the official use of the Northern Command along the southern border:

Military personnel do not directly participate in civilian law enforcement activities. The active-duty personnel will support enhanced detection and monitoring efforts and repair and emplace physical barriers. Military personnel who have provided border security support as part of the FY2025 Department of Homeland Security request have performed duties to include detection and monitoring, logistics, and transportation support that enhances CBP’s ability to impede or deny illegal crossings, maintain situational awareness, and apply the appropriate law enforcement response in support of its overall border security mission.