Donald Trump is bellicose – that is, he is inclined to war or fighting.  The word comes from the Latin bellum for war.  Trump needs conflict like you and I need oxygen.  Not for him that beatitude ‘Blessed are the peacemakers.’  For that matter it is at best even money whether Trump would know what the beatitudes are.

There you have one reason why in the madness and iniquity of Washington, DC, the suggestion that Trump might be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize is as sane as suggesting that Rudi Giuliani is a competent lawyer in good standing within his profession.  The most polite thing you could say about this suggestion, made by Republican members of Congress, is that it is an outstanding example of the fallacy that if A comes after B, you can infer that B caused A.  You drove into the rear of my car while I was waiting at a red light; but for that fact that I got out of bed this morning, I would not have been at that intersection; therefore my getting out of bed caused the accident.  That would be an outrageous example – but how much better is anything that comes out of this White House?

Besides, the proclamation of peace is premature.  Because Trump is bellicose, he wants to break the deal with Iran.  You can have another even money bet.  If he does so, North Korea will say that all bets with the U S are off and that they will deal separately with South Korea and Japan.  That would leave Trump with his mate Netanyahu – who looks and sounds like an ogre from Gulliver’s Travels – and who else?

Bloopers

At CSL, efficiency is a significant advantage for us.

CSL Limited Half Year Update, 2017-2018

Who would have it otherwise?  Since CSL is a gem in my super, thank heavens they don’t go in for inefficiency.

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But after Giuliani said on live television that Trump had indeed reimbursed Cohen for the payment, the president reversed his position in an extraordinary sequence of tweets – just hours before leading a national day of prayer at the White House.

The Guardian, 4 May 2018

All you need to know about America today.