Meanwhile, the USA is staging troops and equipment for a short ground war which appears to be their plan to take over the island of Kharg which is Iran's oil export hub. The Pentagon has just issued orders to deploy for 3,000 members of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division. Those are elite special forces and paratroopers that would be key to taking over the small island.

In addition to deploying the 82nd Airborne Immediate Readiness Force (IRF), Trump has sent 2,500 Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) along with the USS Tripoli and other ships. They were previously stationed at their base in Okinawa, Japan. They will join the thousands of Marines and sailors that are being sent with the USS Boxer and war ships which would be an amphibious assault force. The Pentagon is keeping quiet, but I would expect there to be around 8,000 troops arriving specifically to carry out the seizure of the island.

It's important to note that these forces at this point aren't large enough to start a prolonged ground war with Iran, but they'd be enough for a short-term invasion to seize Kharg.

Some other signs that a ground invasion is imminent are the deployments and use of C-17 Globemaster III's to the area, along with a buildup of war planes at the Ovda Airbase and Nevatim Airbase in Israel. They are also carrying out a build-up of Army airborne units in Jordan. Many of the C-17 flights have been spotted at the Talladega Municipal Airport in Alabama which is near the Army weapons depot in Anniston where they store a large number of ground combat vehicles. A C-17 has been spotted at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar outside of San Diego, California which is the base of the 1st Marine Logistics Group that supports the US Marine Expeditionary Force.

A more informal measure of determining if a ground operation is imminent is by looking at what the servicemembers say on their social media profiles (they are saying bye to friends and loved ones) and by what they are eating. The Pentagon recently spent $22 million on lobsters and ribeye steak, and the servicemembers are now posting photos of their "Surf and Turf" meal. When I was in the military we only got served that meal right before bad shit happens!

Trump continues to say that negotiations to end the war are going well, but the actions on the ground say otherwise. My heart goes out to all of our servicemembers, their families, friends, and loved ones. It's a damn shame that they are being used in another useless never-ending illegal war of choice in Iran!

"First, I want to extend my gratitude to all the people who have reached out from across the country and around the world to support our family.

This kindness of strangers is the most fitting tribute because if you ever encountered my wife, Renee Nicole Macklin Good, you know that above all else, she was kind. In fact, kindness radiated out of her.

Renee sparkled. She literally sparkled. I mean, she didn’t wear glitter but I swear she had sparkles coming out of her pores. All the time. You might think it was just my love talking but her family said the same thing. Renee was made of sunshine.

Renee lived by an overarching belief: there is kindness in the world and we need to do everything we can to find it where it resides and nurture it where it needs to grow. Renee was a Christian who knew that all religions teach the same essential truth: we are here to love each other, care for each other, and keep each other safe and whole.

Like people have done across place and time, we moved to make a better life for ourselves. We chose Minnesota to make our home. Our whole extended road trip here, we held hands in the car while our son drew all over the windows to pass the time and the miles.
What we found when we got here was a vibrant and welcoming community, we made friends and spread joy. And while any place we were together was home, there was a strong shared sense here in Minneapolis that we were looking out for each other. Here, I had finally found peace and safe harbor. That has been taken from me forever.

We were raising our son to believe that no matter where you come from or what you look like, all of us deserve compassion and kindness. Renee lived this belief every day. She is pure love. She is pure joy. She is pure sunshine.

On Wednesday, January 7th, we stopped to support our neighbors. We had whistles. They had guns.

Renee leaves behind three extraordinary children; the youngest is just six years old and already lost his father. I am now left to raise our son and to continue teaching him, as Renee believed, that there are people building a better world for him. That the people who did this had fear and anger in their hearts, and we need to show them a better way.

We thank you for the privacy you are granting our family as we grieve. We thank you for ensuring that Renee’s legacy is one of kindness and love. We honor her memory by living her values: rejecting hate and choosing compassion, turning away from fear and pursuing peace, refusing division and knowing we must come together to build a world where we all come home safe to the people we love."

 

The Trump administration is targeting the funding of Smithsonian museums like the Museum of American History, the Museum of Natural History, the Air and Space Museum, the Museum of African American History and Culture, the Museum of the American Indian, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Museum of African Art, and the National Portrait Gallery.

Here's more reporting from The Washington Post (which unfortunately may be behind a paywall): White House threatens Smithsonian funds in sweeping content review - The Washington Post