Boys and Their Toys
The chief of the International Energy Agency now says that the energy crisis we are facing is “the biggest energy security threat in history”—not in recent history, and not just since the OPEC crisis of the seventies and early eighties. It is already the biggest energy crisis the world has ever faced … and we are an energy-dependent world more than ever. You have not even BEGUN to feel the pain that is coming, and for most nations it will be far worse than it is going to be for the US.
This will force a huge change in how the world does energy:
“Nuclear power, will get a boost. ... Renewables will grow very strongly — solar, wind and others — [and] I expect electric cars will benefit from this,” he noted. Alternative fossil fuels could also make a comeback…. “In some countries, I expect the coal may also see a push and go back up, especially in some big countries in Asia….”
Describing the strait as one of the world’s “most critical oil transit choke points,” the IEA has warned that the closure will impact global economic growth, spur inflation and could lead to energy rationing. The agency has warned of an imminent jet fuel crunch in Europe, with some countries facing shortages within weeks.
That, of course, means summer tourism—already hit hard last year in the US when Trump’s Turf & Tariff Wars caused a huge backlash against vacationing in the US—will be a bigger fail this year.
People are inured to how bad the worst energy crisis in history is going to be because it won’t really hit until the tank farms start running dry and desperate nations start bidding up the price of oil for immediate delivery from wherever they can get it, raising everyone else’s prices by their scrabbling competition to keep their economies afloat and their people alive. I would estimate the scale of this disaster becomes evident when the summer vacationing season begins with its usual increased demand for gasoline and diesel, and we discover it’s not there in sufficient amounts to support the usual season.
Top navy official sunk
Meanwhile, look at the joke the White House made out of the US Navy as soon as it took over the helm. Trump placed a man in charge of the biggest navy on Earth who had no experience in the military at all! John Phelan, the top civilian official running the navy, is suddenly departing without explanation from his role as Navy Secretary. I don’t need an explanation. HE HAD ZERO MILITARY EXPERIENCE, and should never have been in that position. He was hired by our Supreme Leader because …
Phelan was a major donor to Trump’s campaign and had founded the private investment firm Rugger Management LLC. According to his biography
It was payback. Donald Trump has always claimed he is a great leader, but he solely placed Phalen as his Navy Secretary as a favor for a billionaire crony who had donated big money to Trump during the campaign days. Does a great leader place people with ZERO military experience in charge of the biggest navy on earth?
Unofficially, the story goes like this;
People familiar with the dynamics at the Pentagon told the Guardian Phelan was fired. Phelan had an increasingly rocky relationship with the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, and other senior staff, who openly appeared to prefer Cao for the role.
The sources said Hegseth in effect blamed Phelan for not going aggressively enough against Senator Mark Kelly after appearing in a video in which the senator advised troops to ignore “illegal orders”.
So, Pentagon Pete wanted someone tougher than a man who had no military experience, nor even any civilian experience serving the military. He knew NOTHING more about the navy than the average tub potato playing with toy boats. What a disgrace of crony government to have ever placed him in that role in the first place! I don’t want to see anyone in charge of the US navy who doesn’t have, at least, 20 to 30 years experience IN THE NAVY like Phelan’s replacement has and who is well known for excellent military leadership like maybe this guy:
Another Trump loyalist is taking over as acting head of the Navy: Undersecretary Hung Cao, a 25-year Navy combat veteran who ran unsuccessful campaigns for the U.S. Senate and House in Virginia.
Still leans toward being a favor to a loyalist; but he, at least, has real experience, so he passes the minimum experience bar for applying.
Of course, there has been a slew of firings among the military top brass by Pentagon Pete:
Phelan’s departure is the latest in a series of shakeups of top leadership at the Pentagon, coming just weeks after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired the Army’s top uniformed officer, Gen. Randy George. Hegseth also has fired several other top generals, admirals and defense leaders since taking office last year.
The firings began in February 2025, when Hegseth removed military leaders, including Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the Navy’s top uniformed officer, and Gen. Jim Slife, the No. 2 leader at the Air Force. Trump also fired Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown Jr. as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
There are probably a lot of veteran military leaders who don’t want to play with Pendragon Pete, who is merely an angry boy toy placed in charge of the most powerful military on earth. He has very little military experience—all at a low rank—but now he gets to play with all the biggest toys on earth. What fun! Other boys would be very envious of his toy box. And that’s why we have seen no clear objectives for the war in Iran that have been accomplished so far. It does not even appear the White House has any clear objectives in mind. It looks more like a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants affair:
