Day 78: Aftermath

I've had today to reflect on the missile strike on Syria. There are plenty of articles discussing it. Here's my thoughts (and a few other people's too):

• Trump has just demonstrated how willing he is to act emotionally and impulsively, discard all previous policies, and start a war. He is a loose cannon in an incredibly dangerous position of power. I cannot stress this enough: he cannot be trusted with that power.
• What was the purpose of blowing up an airfield with 59 cruise missiles? This accomplished nothing, other than wasting a significant amount of money (and we almost certainly wasted more money than we blew up). This has done nothing to hamper Syria's capabilities. This is a presidential temper tantrum with no purpose.
• What the fuck does Trump think is going to happen next? That the world will fall in line due to his "display of might"? This has no benefit other than turning the spotlight from Assad to Trump (and that's NOT a benefit).
• Do not think for a second that Trump cares about the "Syrian children". This is from the man who has been strongly pushing to bar entry to the US to all Syrian refugees.

The diplomatic fallout is starting, with Russia claiming that the US action was an "illegitimate act", and legal scholars are proposing that the US violated the UN charter. Of course, the US is promising "more". Regardless, back at home, basically everybody agrees that if the President wants to wage war, that requires authorization from congress.

In other news:

• Trump met with the President of China today. I can't find much of substance from the meeting, other than that they still disagree on North Korea, and everything else is a banality. 
• The administration today delayed the implementation of an Obama-era safety rule regarding silica dust, which causes cancer, particularly among construction workers. This is disgusting.
• As expected, today the Senate confirmed Gorsuch for the Supreme Court, voting 54-45, working only because the Senate took the nuclear option this week. Given that he's 49, we can expect 30 years of his vile "conservatism".
• Twitter's suit against the government has forced the government to rescind their request for critic's details. Good.
• Research has come out showing that racism was a far more potent effect in last year's election than economic issues.