Log in Subscribe

A few of our stories and columns are now in front of the paywall. We at The Chief remain committed to independent reporting on labor and civil service. It's been our mission since 1897. You can have a hand in ensuring that our reporting remains relevant in the decades to come. Consider supporting The Chief, which you can do for as little as $3.20 a month.

The worst peacemaker

Posted

To the editor:

Donald J. Trump is the world’s worst peacemaker.

He can’t make peace in Gaza. He can’t make peace in Iran. He can’t make peace in Lebanon. He can’t make peace in American cities like Minneapolis, L.A., and Chicago.

President Trump can’t make peace because he has been a full-time warmaker his entire life. He was constantly making war against contestants by firing them on his The Apprentice reality TV show. He has been at war against African Americans for a long time and his aggression against Haitians and Somalians is just the latest.

He has been on a mission of conquest for a long time against women who are his type, like porn star Stormy Daniels and E. Jean Carrol. His war against female appointees in his own Cabinet is just the latest front in that war.

He is at war against non-compliant Republicans in the Congress, the Pope, American universities, Democrats, law firms, his niece, media companies and many others.

He has been on the war path against virtually all the nations of the earth with his illegal tariff aggression.

He has threatened to go to war with Cuba, Greenland and Canada.

He has changed the name of the Defense Department to the War Department. He is asking for a military budget increase of 40-50 percent rather than the usual 4-5 percent in times of foreign conflict.

Kimball Shinkoskey

Comments

7 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here

  • Valete

    In your incomplete essay, you neglected to explain President Trump’s unwavering commitment to prioritizing the American people, as demonstrated by his America First foreign policy. His decisive actions based on Peace Through Strength effectively resolved conflicts, dismantled threats, restored U.S. military supremacy, enhanced global security, restored the nation’s international reputation, and ultimately, earned him the title of “the man of hope.”

    Wednesday, July 8 Report this

  • Admin

    Getting the U.S. involved in a pointless middle east war is anything but America first.

    Thursday, July 9 Report this

  • reenjoe

    If Trump were a pragmatic competent leader, which he is not, he would offer a back-channel deal to Iran that reopens the Strait, without tolls, and restarts the JCPOA.

    Of course, that is beyond what his fragile ego would permit. It would an admission that he was wrong about the war, wrong to trash the JCPOA and wrong about Obama. So, we, the ordinary working class people of America and the world, continue paying the price for Trump's incompetence and overinflated ego.

    Thursday, July 9 Report this

  • Valete

    US President Trump is an astute, free-thinking man.

    He strategically decimated the Ayatollah and Iran,

    With no American soldiers warring boots in the sand.

    A military strategist is Mr. Trump; he is in command.

    Mr. Trump has decimated the military capability of Iran.

    US President Trump is a military strategist; what a man!

    Friday, July 10 Report this

  • Valete

    Contrary to your assertion, I firmly believe that the Iran war held immense significance. Iran was on the brink of acquiring nuclear weapons. If Mr. Trump hadn’t neutralized Iran’s military capabilities, Israel and its Middle Eastern allies would have faced imminent danger from Iran’s erratic leaders, who threatened to unleash nuclear weapons upon Israel and send it to the eternal Promised Land. President Donald J. Trump deserves credit for his swift thinking and mental acuity in taking decisive action against Iran. Previous presidents lacked the courage and mental capabilities to resolve the Iran problem, which was preventing Iran from becoming a nuclear power. If a Democrat president had possessed the mental acuity to solve the Iran problem, the liberal media would be singing: “Hail to the Chief!"

    Friday, July 10 Report this

  • wpeakes

    @ Word Man (aka JDonne, 0000, Dominic Genevese, and Robert Sica)

    Cute poem but there's nothing poetic about a conflict that numerous presidents managed to avoid for good reasons. We are stuck in a war that the current administration can't extricate itself from. Iran doesn't need its military...just an endless supply of cheap drones to control the Strait of Hormuz. They NOW know definitively that they can control the economies of one-third of the world including the United States. That's not strategic, that's tragic! And, please don't crow too loudly that American "boots in the sand" were not needed...the war's not over.

    Friday, July 10 Report this

  • Valete

    Despite your negative opinion, the military aspect of the Iran deal +1

    Literal Translation and Etymology

    The phrase breaks down into three distinct Latin words:

    R & A Associates

    +1

    Non: Not

    Compos: Having command, mastery, or control

    Mentis: Of the mind

    Merriam-Webster

    +2

    Together, it literally means "not master of one's own mind". It is the exact opposite of the phrase compos mentis (being of sound mind and in full control of one's faculties).

    Roots2Words

    +2

    Common Applications

    The term is highly technical and primarily appears in specific professional fields rather than casual conversation:

    VDict

    +2

    Civil Law: Courts use this status to protect vulnerable individuals. If someone is declared non compos mentis due to an illness like advanced dementia, any contracts they signed or wills they drafted can be legally voided.

    YouTube

    ·LawMint

    Criminal Law: It defines a person who is legally insane or mentally incompetent to stand trial. A defendant in this state cannot fully understand the charges or participate in their own defense.

    Nolo

    +1

    Healthcare: Medical professionals use it to evaluate whether a patient has the clinical competency to give informed consent for medical procedures. If they do not, a healthcare proxy or surrogate must make those decisions.

    YouTube

    ·Audiopedia

    Figurative Use: Outside of legal records, people sometimes use it informally or humorously to describe someone who is temporarily confused, severely sleep-deprived, or highly intoxicated.

    Vocabulary.com

    +1

    Would you like to see an example sentence using this phrase, or are you exploring its impact on a specific legal or medical scenario?

    AI can make mistakes, so double-check responses

    10 sites

    Definition of NON COMPOS MENTIS - Merriam-Webster

    Medical Definition. non compos mentis. adjective. non com·​pos men·​tis ˌnän-ˌkäm-pə-ˈsment-əs, ˌnōn- : not of sound mind. Legal D...

    Merriam-Webster

    Non compos mentis - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

    Add to list. /ˈnɑn ˌˈkɑmpəs ˌmɛntəs/ When someone is non compos mentis, they are not sane or rational. When a person is declared b...

    Vocabulary.com

    Legal Terms: NON COMPOS MENTIS - Roots2Words

    Oct 11, 2025 — In civil cases, being deemed non compos mentis may affect a person's ability to enter into contracts or manage their affairs. The ...

    Roots2Words

    Show all

    has been successfully completed. President Trump has no need to deploy troops to Iran or any other location because he is not only a military genius and strategist but also a man of great insight and courage—unlike his predecessors, particularly Obama and Biden, who are often described as “non compos mentis” in Latin, which translates to “not of sound mind.”

    Friday, July 10 Report this