Why Not?: Ukraine, NATO, and Taiwan

This is the tenth in a series of posts on the reasons I will not be voting to return the former president to the White House. My focus here is not to support his opponent but instead to explain why I believe that Donald Trump is manifestly unqualified for the role.

Weirdly enough, this was the first post I started in this series... and it's likely the last before Election Day. Originally, it was an epic roll through the Trump Tower Moscow, the first Trump impeachment, etc... but I finally decided it was more powerful to keep it simple.

Ukraine

It's not a difficult question. 

You have said you would solve this war in 24 hours. You said so just before the break tonight. How exactly would you do that? And I want to ask you a very simple question tonight. Do you want Ukraine to win this war? 

[David Muir asking Donald Trump a question during the presidential debate on Sept. 10]

Yet the final answer the former president gave was boiled down to:

I think it's in the U.S. best interest to get this war finished and just get it done. All right. Negotiate a deal.

Reminder: Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022... with the ambition of overthrowing a democratic government. And our best choice is to negotiate a deal?!

NATO

I did the same thing with NATO. I got them to pay up. NATO was busted until I came along. I said, “Everybody’s going to pay.” They said, “Well, if we don’t pay, are you still going to protect us?” I said, “Absolutely not.” They couldn’t believe the answer. And you never saw more money pour in to Secretary General Stoltenberg. I don’t know if he is anymore, but he was my biggest fan. He said, “All these presidents came in, they’d make a speech, they’d leave. And that was it.”

And they all owed money, and they wouldn’t pay it. I came in, I made a speech, and I said, “You got to pay out.” They asked me that question. One of the presidents of a big country stood up, said, “Well, sir, if we don’t pay and we’re attacked by Russia, will you protect us?” I said, “You didn’t pay. You’re delinquent?” He said, “Yes, let’s say that happened.”

“No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You got to pay. You got to pay your bills.” And the money came flowing in. And Henry would know this. If I said, “Yes, I will. You don’t have to pay. Yes, I will.” Most politicians have said to that, “Yes, we will protect you under any circumstances.” Well, then they’re never paying up. I said, “No, no. You have to understand you don’t pay your bills, you get no protection.” It’s very simple. Hundreds of billions of dollars came into NATO, and that’s why they have money today because of what I did."

(Donald Trump at a rally in South Carolina, February 2024)

For more information about the 2% guideline, read the actual NATO policy. (In other words, the former president didn't get any nation to send "hundreds of billions of dollars" to NATO.)

Separate of the obvious issues with the veracity of the anonymous president questioning Mr. Trump (a favorite trope of his storytelling), the fact that he is bragging about telling Russia to "do whatever the hell they want" (his words) is chilling.

Taiwan

“Taiwan. I know the people very well, respect them greatly. They did take about 100 percent of our chip business. I think Taiwan should pay us for defense. You know, we’re no different than an insurance company. Taiwan doesn’t give us anything. Taiwan is 9,500 miles away.”

(Donald Trump in a Bloomberg interview, July 2024)

In Short

The former president is fixated on money as a measure of loyalty. He's obsessed with a "pay to play"/"protection racket" ('nice country you got there; hate if something happened to it') view of the world. It's like he watched too many gangster movies and was schooled by his father and Roy Cohn to see the world with dollars as the scoreboard - rather than human lives and human freedom.

Important reminder: I am not attempting to defend the Biden administration or the Harris candidacy. I am simply pointing out that Donald Trump's protection racket foreign policy does not deserve and will not receive my support.

The first post in this series focuses on tariff policy - at this point, Mr. Trump's belief that tariffs are a "magic wand" that can cure all sorts of problems - child care, grocery prices, bringing manufacturing jobs back to the U.S., etc. They're not.

The second post in this series focuses on immigration policy - the dehumanizing language, the abject lies, and the unbelievably foolish promises of mass deportation.

The third post in this series focuses on Mr. Trump's narcissism and potential cognitive decline.

The fourth post in this series focuses on the unbelievable record of lying by Mr. Trump.

The fifth post in this series focuses on the former president's support for those who brutally attacked police officers during the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

The sixth post in this series focuses on the extraordinarily odd decisions on the part of so many voters to support Mr. Trump despite his obvious disdain for their opinions and needs.

The seventh post in this series focuses on the opposition of many of his former staff to his re-election as well as his possible choices for government positions of unqualified (at best) individuals. (This post was written prior to the release of more extensive reporting of John Kelly's rejection of Mr. Trump.) 

The eighth post in this series focuses on the former president's desire for harsh laws and law enforcement against others but extreme leniency for himself.

The ninth post in this series focuses on the former president's obsession with dictators and dictator-like behavior.

Why Not?: When I Grow Up, I Want to Be...

This is the ninth in a series of posts on the reasons I will not be voting to return the former president to the White House. My focus here is not to support his opponent but instead to explain why I believe that Donald Trump is manifestly unqualified for the role.

...well, for me, the first job I remember wanting was as a construction worker. That is, until I watched my uncles rebuilding a barn destroyed by a tornado, walking the beam 2-3 stories in the air as if it was no big deal. (I have mild acrophobia - it's a big deal for me.)

Then I wanted to be a lawyer - probably because I'd read a whole bunch of Perry Mason novels from the used bookstore. That dream lasted a couple of years until I realized that (a) lots of lawyers don't do criminal law, and (b) if you're a defense attorney, not all of your clients are innocent. 

For most of junior high & high school, I planned to be an actor - in fact, that even lived on for a semester or so of college before I realized that a B.A. in Theater would doom me to life inside the theater building with almost no escape. Instead, I majored in English literature (so much more practical - ha!) and participated in & ran Baptist Student Union drama groups that performed at churches and campus events.

Looking back nearly forty years later, 20 year old Mark would have been stunned to see the list of jobs in his future: grill cook at McDonald's, clerk at a Christian bookstore, selling men's furnishings (underwear & ties) at Dillard's, youth pastor, church planter, customer service rep for JC Penney's phone bank, shrink-wrapping & packing Tae Bo videos, senior pastor, temporary IT guy for the TN State Legislature, and finally (for the last ten years) working for the TN Department of Education.

With that trip down memory lane done, let's take a look at what Mr. Trump aspires to be.

The Former President: "When I Grow Up, I Want to Be A Dictator"

Yes, I know how harsh that sounds. But...

“He [Sean Hannity] says, ‘You’re not going to be a dictator, are you?’ I said: ‘No, no, no, other than day one. We’re closing the border, and we’re drilling, drilling, drilling. After that, I’m not a dictator.’”

(Donald Trump in Iowa, December 2023)

Eric Cortellessa: Do you see why so many Americans see language like that, you know, dictator for a day, suspending the Constitution—

Donald Trump: I think a lot of people like it.

(Time magazine interview, April 2024)

Now, as you can see if you follow the links, the former president plays these statements off as "sarcastic" or "said as a joke". On the other hand...

Like a madman who hurls flaming spears and shoots deadly arrows,

So is anyone who deceives a neighbor

and then says, “But I was only joking with you.”

(Proverbs 26:18-19 VOICE)

The Former President: "Sleeping on a dragon’s hoard with greedy, dragonish thoughts in his heart, he had become a dragon himself."

The quotes is from C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia (specifically, from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader) and actually leads to one of the most profound scenes in the book. (I won't spoil it for you - go read the book for yourself!)

But it's the first thing that came to mind when thinking about the "to-do" list that Mr. Trump has hinted at during his campaign - dragonish thoughts lead to dragon behavior.

“Now that the ‘seal’ is broken, in addition to closing the border & removing all of the ‘criminal’ elements that have illegally invaded our country, making America energy independent & even dominant again, & immediately ending the war between Russia & Ukraine, I will appoint a real special ‘prosecutor’ to go after the most corrupt president in the history of the USA, Joe Biden, the entire Biden crime family, & all others involved with the destruction of our elections, borders, & country itself!"

(Donald Trump on Truth Social, June 2023)

“The unAmerican Weaponization of our Law Enforcement has reached levels of Illegality never thought possible before... INDICT THE UNSELECT J6 COMMITTEE FOR ILLEGALLY DELETING AND DESTROYING ALL OF THEIR ‘FINDINGS!'”

(Donald Trump on Truth Social, June 2024)

"It's so easy. I would fire him within two seconds."

"No, I don't think they would impeach me if I fired Jack Smith."

(Donald Trump on Hugh Hewitt's show, October 2024)

"Jack Smith should be considered mentally deranged and he should be thrown out of the country." 

(Donald Trump in a radio interview, October 2024)

"They are almost all dishonest and corrupt, but Comcast, with its one-side and vicious coverage by NBC NEWS, and in particular MSNBC, often and correctly referred to as MSDNC (Democrat National Committee!), should be investigated for its “Country Threatening Treason.” Their endless coverage of the now fully debunked SCAM known as Russia, Russia, Russia, and much else, is one big Campaign Contribution to the Radical Left Democrat Party. I say up front, openly, and proudly, that when I WIN the Presidency of the United States, they and others of the LameStream Media will be thoroughly scrutinized for their knowingly dishonest and corrupt coverage of people, things, and events. Why should NBC, or any other of the corrupt & dishonest media companies, be entitled to use the very valuable Airwaves of the USA, FREE? They are a true threat to Democracy and are, in fact, THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE! The Fake News Media should pay a big price for what they have done to our once great Country!"

(Donald Trump on Truth Social, September 2023)

"A giant Fake News Scam by CBS & 60 Minutes. Her REAL ANSWER WAS CRAZY, OR DUMB, so they actually REPLACED it with another answer in order to save her or, at least, make her look better. A FAKE NEWS SCAM, which is totally illegal. TAKE AWAY THE CBS LICENSE. Election Interference. She is a Moron, and the Fake News Media wants to hide that fact. An UNPRECEDENTED SCANDAL!!!"

(Donald Trump on Truth Social, October 2024)

“We have some very bad people. We have some sick people, radical left lunatics. And I think they’re the—and it should be easily handled by, if necessary, by National Guard, or if really necessary, by the military, because they can’t let that happen.”

(Donald Trump on Fox News, October 2024)

“A massive, crooked, vicious radical left machine that runs the Democratic Party. They’re just vessels. And when I say the ‘enemy from within,’ the other side goes crazy. Becomes a soundb—‘Ohh, how can he say?’ No, they’ve done very bad things to this country. They are indeed the enemy from within.”

(Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden, October 2024)

The Former President: Authoritarian Fanboy

If Tad Callister is correct and "we become like those things we habitually love and admire", then it's a good idea to take a look at the kinds of leaders that the former president praises.

Kim Jong Un (North Korea)

REPORTER: Mr. President, what surprised you the most about Kim Jong Un?

TRUMP: A great personality and very smart. Good combination. He’s a worthy negotiator, negotiating on behalf of his people. A very worthy, a very smart negotiator. We had a terrific day. We learnt a lot about each other and about our countries, so.

REPORTER: What did you learn about him?

TRUMP: I learned that he’s a very talented man. I also learned that he loves his country very much.

(press briefing following summit in Singapore, June 2018)

"I was really being tough - and so was he. And we would go back and forth. And then we fell in love, okay? No, really - he wrote me beautiful letters, and they're great letters."

(Donald Trump at West Virginia rally, September 2018)

“He’s the head of a country and I mean he is the strong head. Don’t let anyone think anything different. He speaks and his people sit up at attention. I want my people to do the same.”

(Donald Trump on Fox, June 2018)

"I think he misses me, if you want to know the truth."

(Donald Trump at the Republican Convention, July 2024)

Other Republicans have a clearer view of the North Korean dictator.

“Kim Jong Un is a thug and a tyrant, and he has tested ballistic missiles against our allies. He’s threatened us. There’s nothing to congratulate him about. I mean, he’s been terrible to his people. He’s been terrible to America, and we need to stop being nice to countries that hate America.” (Nikki Haley)

“Whether it's my former running mate or anyone else, nobody should be praising the dictator in North Korea or praising the leader in Russia, who has launched an unprovoked war of aggression in Ukraine. This is a time when we ought to make it clear to the world that we stand for freedom and we stand with those who stand for freedom.” (Mike Pence)

"Kim Jong-Un, the tyrant dictator in North Korea should not be praised by Donald Trump for a leadership role in the World Health Organization. We sanction leaders who oppress their people. We do not elevate them on the world stage.” (Asa Hutchinson)

(NBC News, June 2023)

As of this past week, North Korea is sending approximately 10,000 troops to Russia to assist in the invasion of Ukraine. And, evidently, Kim Jong Un is missing the former president.

Xi Jinping (China)

“Think of President Xi: central casting, a brilliant guy. You know, when I say he’s brilliant, everyone says, ‘Oh that’s terrible.' Well, he runs 1.4 billion people with an iron fist. Smart, brilliant, everything perfect. There’s nobody in Hollywood like this guy.”

(Donald Trump on Fox News town hall, July 2023)

"Our relationship with China has now probably never, ever been better...He's for China, I'm for the U.S., but other than that, we love each other."

(Donald Trump at Davos, January 2020)

"You have a lot of misinformation spread about China, and you have a lot of misinformation spread about a lot of different places. I think I'm going to get along great with China. President Xi of China and I are very good friends, we met right here, right there. [referring to where reporters are sitting] We had a beautiful sofa there. As opposed to what we have right now. Right now we have you."

(Donald Trump at press conference, August 2024)

“He’s now president for life. President for life. No, he’s great. And look, he was able to do that. I think it’s great. Maybe we’ll have to give that a shot some day.”

(Donald Trump at Mar-A-Lago, speech to donors, March 2018)

TRUMP: “They hate when I say, you know, when the press — when I called President Xi, [the press] said, ‘Well, he called President Xi brilliant.’ Well, he’s a brilliant guy. He controls 1.4 billion people with an iron fist. I mean, he’s a brilliant guy, whether you like it or not. And they go crazy.”

JOE ROGAN: “Right, it doesn’t mean he’s not evil, or it doesn’t mean he’s not dangerous."

TRUMP: “Yeah, of course not. But, actually, we have evil people in our country.”

(Donald Trump on Joe Rogan's podcast, October 2024)

Reminder: the former president was very positive about how well President Xi was dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak... until he wasn't. 

Vladimir Putin (Russia)

“The smartest one gets to the top. That didn’t work so well recently in our country. But they ask me, ‘Is Putin smart?’ Yes, Putin was smart. And I actually thought he was going to be negotiating. I said, ‘That’s a hell of a way to negotiate, put 200,000 soldiers on the border.’”

(Donald Trump at campaign rally in Georgia, March 2022)

BUCK: Mr. President, in the last 24 hours we know Russia has said that they are recognizing two breakaway regions of Ukraine, and now this White House is stating that this is an “invasion.” That’s a strong word. What went wrong here? What has the current occupant of the Oval Office done that he could have done differently?

TRUMP: "Well, what went wrong was a rigged election and what went wrong is a candidate that shouldn’t be there and a man that has no concept of what he’s doing. I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said, “This is genius.” Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine — of Ukraine. Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that’s wonderful. So, Putin is now saying, “It’s independent,” a large section of Ukraine. I said, “How smart is that?” And he’s gonna go in and be a peacekeeper. That’s strongest peace force… We could use that on our southern border. That’s the strongest peace force I’ve ever seen. There were more army tanks than I’ve ever seen. They’re gonna keep peace all right. No, but think of it. Here’s a guy who’s very savvy… I know him very well. Very, very well."

(Donald Trump on Clay & Buck radio interview, February 2022)

"Have they found him guilty? I don't think they've found him guilty. If he did it, fine. But I don’t know that he did it. You know, people are saying they think it was him, it might have been him, it could have been him. But Maria, in all fairness to Putin—I don’t know. You know, and I’m not saying this because he says, ‘Trump is brilliant and leading everybody’ —the fact is that, you know, he hasn’t been convicted of anything.”

(Donald Trump in interview about murder of Alexander Litvinenko on Fox Business, January 2016)

For a more extensive series of clips, you can watch this video collection from CNN in 2020. (The text version is linked here.)

Two Final Words

"He certainly prefers the dictator approach to government. Certainly the former president is in the far-right area, he's certainly an authoritarian, admires people who are dictators - he has said that. So he certainly falls into the general definition of fascist, for sure."

(General John Kelly, retired U.S. Marine Corps general and Trump's White House chief of staff from 2017-2019)

Show me a righteous ruler and I will show you a happy people. Show me a wicked ruler and I will show you a miserable people.

(Proverbs 29:2 GNT)

Important reminder: I am not attempting to defend the Biden administration or the Harris candidacy. I am simply pointing out that Donald Trump's obsession with dictators does not deserve and will not receive my support.

The first post in this series focuses on tariff policy - at this point, Mr. Trump's belief that tariffs are a "magic wand" that can cure all sorts of problems - child care, grocery prices, bringing manufacturing jobs back to the U.S., etc. They're not.

The second post in this series focuses on immigration policy - the dehumanizing language, the abject lies, and the unbelievably foolish promises of mass deportation.

The third post in this series focuses on Mr. Trump's narcissism and potential cognitive decline.

The fourth post in this series focuses on the unbelievable record of lying by Mr. Trump.

The fifth post in this series focuses on the former president's support for those who brutally attacked police officers during the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

The sixth post in this series focuses on the extraordinarily odd decisions on the part of so many voters to support Mr. Trump despite his obvious disdain for their opinions and needs.

The seventh post in this series focuses on the opposition of many of his former staff to his re-election as well as his possible choices for government positions of unqualified (at best) individuals. (This post was written prior to the release of more extensive reporting of John Kelly's rejection of Mr. Trump.) 

The eighth post in this series focuses on the former president's desire for harsh laws and law enforcement against others but extreme leniency for himself.

Why Not?: Rules for Thee But Not for Me

This is the eighth in a series of posts on the reasons I will not be voting to return the former president to the White House. My focus here is not to support his opponent but instead to explain why I believe that Donald Trump is manifestly unqualified for the role.

My dad didn't read much growing up - at least not willingly. (I've come to believe he had undiagnosed dyslexia, which made reading a chore rather than a joy.) But there was one book he read in school that he mentioned enjoying - George Orwell's Animal Farm. I distinctly remember him quoting from it to justify his role as the key decision-maker in my life as a kid:

All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.

It was a good-natured joke in our family...

...but unfortunately it is the painful reality of the former president's view of crime, policing, and taking responsibility for his own actions.

Rules for Thee...

"When you see these thugs being thrown into the back of a paddy wagon, you just seen them thrown in, rough. I said, ‘Please don’t be too nice.’ When you guys put somebody in the car and you’re protecting their head you know, the way you put their hand over [their head]. Like, 'Don’t hit their head and they’ve just killed somebody, don’t hit their head.' I said, 'You can take the hand away, OK?'"

(Donald Trump, speaking to law enforcement officials in July 2017)

"If you had one day, like one real rough, nasty day... One rough hour and I mean real rough. The word will get out and it will end immediately. End immediately. It’ll end immediately."

(Donald Trump, speaking about shoplifting during a rally in Pennsylvania in September 2024)

In the decades since his newspaper ads calling for the death penalty for the Central Park Five, Trump has repeatedly endorsed harsher penalties for a wide range of crimes, including threatening 10-year prison terms for anyone vandalizing a statue or other federal monument, suggesting that people who sell illegal drugs should be executed, and praising the president of the Philippines for his approach to drugs, which included the extrajudicial killings of thousands of suspected drug dealers by both police and vigilantes. Trump publicly suggested that soldiers could shoot at people at US borders who throw rocks at them, reportedly suggested in private in 2019 that soldiers shoot migrants in the legs to slow them down, and reportedly made a similar comment about shooting protesters in the legs during the height of the social justice demonstrations prompted by a Minneapolis police officer’s murder of George Floyd in 2020.

(reporting from The Guardian)

For an overwhelming look at who the former president has threatened with prosecution, this NPR story includes an infographic that sorts out Mr. Trump's over 100 threats by the various categories of people that he has proclaimed should be arrested, jailed, punished, subjected to military tribunals, court-martialed, etc. .  

“I am your warrior. I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution.”

(Donald Trump, CPAC 2023)

“Well, revenge does take time. I will say that... And sometimes revenge can be justified, Phil, I have to be honest. You know, sometimes it can.”

(Donald Trump, interview with Dr. Phil in June 2024)

"When this election is over, based on what they've done, I would have every right to go after them.”

(Donald Trump, Fox News interview in June 2024)

...But Not For Me

"As we move forward in Uniting our Nation after the horrific events on Saturday, this dismissal of the Lawless Indictment in Florida should be just the first step, followed quickly by the dismissal of ALL the Witch Hunts — The January 6th Hoax in Washington, D.C., the Manhattan D.A.’s Zombie Case, the New York A.G. Scam, Fake Claims about a woman I never met (a decades old photo in a line with her then husband does not count), and the Georgia “Perfect” Phone Call charges. The Democrat Justice Department coordinated ALL of these Political Attacks, which are an Election Interference conspiracy against Joe Biden’s Political Opponent, ME. Let us come together to END all Weaponization of our Justice System, and Make America Great Again!"
(Donald Trump on Truth Social, July 2024)

"The ridiculous and baseless indictment of me by the Biden administration weaponized department of injustice will go down as among the most horrific abuses of power in the history of our country." 

(Donald Trump in Georgia, June 2023)

The former president has every right to have his day in court - but the outright dismissal of charges because he screams "It's all political!" is not justice. 

And whining about abuses of power (his words) when you are obsessed about revenge and retribution (also his words) is really quite something. Especially when you managed to get through your trial in New York, violate the judge's gag order at least ten (10!) times, be found in contempt of court, and still not manage to end up spending a night in jail. 

I'm not expecting most of my readers to follow these links - but in case you want more detail about the actual charges that the former president so blithely dismisses, you can read the superseding indictments in the January 6 case and the classified documents case. You can also read the brief on immunity determination for the January 6 case.

Yes, I realize that Judge Cannon dismissed the documents case based on [checks notes] the special prosecutor being illegally appointed... but that decision is currently being appealed and is unlikely to withstand the scrutiny of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. I'm also aware that Judge Cannon has been listed by the Trump campaign as a possible candidate for attorney general [insert raised eyebrow here].

One final link: the Legal Eagle YouTube channel has posted a video that lays out many of my concerns about the former president from a legal perspective. You may well not agree with their choice to endorse the other candidate - but I appreciated the clear way they made the argument similar to the one I'm trying to make.

Real Justice

When a judge says to the guilty, “You are innocent,”

    he will be cursed by all people; he will be hated by nations.

But those who reprimand evildoers will be celebrated,

    and good fortune will come their way.

(Proverbs 24:24-25 VOICE)

Never take vengeance into your own hands, my dear friends: stand back and let God punish if he will. For it is written: ‘Vengeance is mine. I will repay’.

(Romans 12:19 PHILLIPS)

Eloquent words are not appropriate on a fool’s lips; how much worse are lies for a ruler. (Proverbs 17:7 HCSB)

Don’t pervert justice. Don’t show favoritism to either the poor or the great. Judge on the basis of what is right.

(Leviticus 19:15 MSG)

But let justice run down like waters And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream [flowing abundantly]. 

(Amos 5:24 AMP)

Important reminder: I am not attempting to defend the Biden administration or the Harris candidacy. I am simply pointing out that Donald Trump's view of "justice" is skewed by anger & a desire for vengeance and that behavior does not deserve and will not receive my support.

The first post in this series focuses on tariff policy - at this point, Mr. Trump's belief that tariffs are a "magic wand" that can cure all sorts of problems - child care, grocery prices, bringing manufacturing jobs back to the U.S., etc. They're not.

The second post in this series focuses on immigration policy - the dehumanizing language, the abject lies, and the unbelievably foolish promises of mass deportation.

The third post in this series focuses on Mr. Trump's narcissism and potential cognitive decline.

The fourth post in this series focuses on the unbelievable record of lying by Mr. Trump.

The fifth post in this series focuses on the former president's support for those who brutally attacked police officers during the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

The sixth post in this series focuses on the extraordinarily odd decisions on the part of so many voters to support Mr. Trump despite his obvious disdain for their opinions and needs.

The seventh post in this series focuses on the opposition of many of his former staff to his re-election as well as his possible choices for government positions of unqualified (at best) individuals. (This post was written prior to the release of more extensive reporting of John Kelly's rejection of Mr. Trump.)

Another Wave of Heroscape (And Questions!)

When Wave 1 of the new era of Heroscape released in August, my sons & I put out a rather long post to answer a plethora of questions about Heroscape: Age of Annihilation. I thought it fitting that we continue the format to preview/review the Wave 2 material that is being released this month.

Once again, let me note for those of you who’ve been living under a gaming rock for 20 years that Heroscape is a miniatures skirmish combat game played on a board constructed out of plastic terrain pieces. Since the theme is a battle for dominance in world where the Valkyrie Generals can recruit warriors from multiple times & dimensions, there is a wild mixture of heroes & squads – aliens & Matrix guys & Braveheart & dragons & robots & kung fu monks & gorillas with guns, to name a few. And it’s one of my favorite games…

What exactly did Renegade Game Studios release for Heroscape this fall?

There are five items in this wave:

• Revna’s Rebuke: Kyrie Warriors (Army Expansion)
• Revna’s Rebuke: Iron Lich Viscerot and Necrotech Wraithriders (Army Expansion)
• Lands of Valhalla (Terrain Expansion)
• Waters of Valhalla (Terrain Expansion)
• Cornelius Breech (National Heroscape Day promo figure)

I’m new to Heroscape. Are these Wave 2 boxes a good way to get started playing?

The Wave 2 army boxes are excellent additions to a Heroscape collection – but by themselves don’t contain enough figures to act as a starter set. The terrain boxes are a great way to expand your ability to build maps but don’t contain any figures. In addition, none of these releases come with order markers, battle dice, or rulebooks.

The Wave 1 releases (the Master Set & the Battle Box) are the place to start if you’re new to Heroscape. The Battle Box is an excellent “let’s see if I’ll like this” set with six unique characters and enough terrain (including Laur trees and wellspring water tiles) to give you the flavor of the bigger game system. The larger Master Set offers a great variety of figures (including the first squads of the new system) and possible scenarios.

An important note for both newbies and old skool Heroscape players: all of the heroes and squads in the Battle Box, Master Set, and Army Expansions (through Wave 2) are unique – meaning you cannot field more than one of them per army. 

Are these good purchases for those of us who’ve been collecting Heroscape for years?

This question is a little bit more up my alley. I own at least one (and often more than one) of everything from the original run of Heroscape (2004-2010) as well as Wave 1 of the new era of ‘Scape.

Giving Ullar two additional Kyries – particularly these two – strengthens a number of the older figures (Saylind, Atlaga, the Protectors of Ullar). The Revna Kyrie is a powerful tag-team partner with Misarex (released in Wave 1). Glinerva the Kyrie Warrior can not only protect her fellow Aquilla warriors but almost any who fight by her side. Finally, the Vydar Kryie (Queen Qhyrion) is a beast of a warrior in her own right – and a welcome addition to any army.

The Army box with Eisenek warriors is a powerful one-two punch. The speed of the Necrotech Wraithriders is supplemented by bonding with Iron Lich Vicerot and his ability to inject them with a vile substance that enhances their powers. It’s also important to mention that they look really cool on the battlefield as well. 

All of the figures in wave 2 are useful – both in armies created solely with “new era” characters and “all time” armies. Our games with them have shown some weaknesses (don’t let your Kyrie get trapped by a horde of smaller figures) and some amazing strengths (the aforementioned Vile Injection power). 

Collin: As someone who grew up with classic ‘scape and has a small collection of old figures, they’re definitely a LOT of fun to play mixed in with old sets. The Kyrie box especially has a lot of synergy with various figures throughout Heroscape’s history. Most notably, Mielki can provide defense for Ullar kyrie, of which only one exists in new scape figures.

As for the big metal crab and his roly-poly companions, they’re solid figures to add to your collection, but as of right now they primarily synergize with themselves.

Are the new terrain pieces worth it?

The addition of 3 hex water pieces allows for easier creation of very interesting boards – hopefully illustrated by the pictures added here of two boards I built using only the terrain pieces from Wave 1 and Wave 2. (The first of these boards is actually an older Heroscape map originally intended for two Rise of the Valkyrie master sets – the current available terrain is more than adequate to rebuild a close facsimile of the original design.)

It’s nice to have the 24 hex sand tiles as well… particularly when you’re looking to give a map design a particular feel. (This second board is one of my own creation – which actually worked pretty well.)

I did some quick figuring (spreadsheets are our friends) to compare the number and types of tiles in the “classic” sets vs. the “new era” sets… and while the original sets had a few more pieces:

• Rise of the Valkyrie 85
• Swarm of the Marro 75
• Age of Annihilation 74
• Battle for the Underdark 34
• Battle for the Wellspring 31
• Lands of Valhalla 63

…the new sets compare favorably when you count the actual number of hexes:

• Rise of the Valkyrie 359
• Age of Annihilation 330
• Lands of Valhalla 300
• Swarm of the Marro 232
• Battle for the Underdark 145
• Battle for the Wellspring 117

How are the scenarios in the various sets?

There are no new scenarios in the Wave 2 boxes. 

How does the future of Heroscape look to you?

The future looks really positive… for a variety of reasons.

• The Wave 3 announcement last week had six army boxes (in two waves – February 2025 & April 2025) along with two more terrain boxes and an official paint set.
• There were a number of very positive hints during the Game Designer Roundtable at RenegadeCon about future development.
• Wave 1 sold out pre-orders for certain boxes direct from Renegade… taking them to a second printing.
• The Sgt. Drake promo figure is now available through Renegade.
• New players exposed to Heroscape in our orbit have quickly become fans… and began purchasing their own sets!

Collin: There’s a LOT of exciting things coming, give me more robots and polar bears!!!!

Let the battles continue! (Or, in our case, happen even more often!)

—–

Want to read more Heroscape coverage (written by me!) from the Opinionated Gamers site?

• Heroscape in New Hands: The Renegade Con Panel (October 2023)
• The Gates of Valhalla Swing Open… Again: The Return of Heroscape (March 2024)
• Heroscape – Wave 2: The Story Continues to Unfold (June 2024)
• 10 Questions About The New Era of Heroscape (August 2024)
• Heroscape – Wave 3: The Rising Tide Raises All Boats (October 2024)

How about some stuff I wrote back in the day about Heroscape for this blog?

• Heroscape for Beginners (and Robo) (November 2009)
• I’ve chronicled a number of our massive battles – complete with pictures!
• Defeating the Marro Invaders + Heroscape Update (October 2007)
• Battle Royale + Battle Royale: National Heroscape Day + The Battle is Over (October 2008)
• Marvel vs. the Citizens of Valhalla (April 2009)
• Arena of Doom (December 2010)
• In November 2010, I wrote a goodbye letter to Heroscape when Hasbro ended the line…

As noted above, I received review copies of the new Heroscape material – both Wave 1 and Wave 2. Back in the day, I did receive some promo figures, a couple of Volcarren Wasteland boxes, and a wave of figures as a “thank you” for my work as a playtester. (I also received a very cool Heroscape T-shirt which fit 42 year old Mark but isn’t as kind to 60 year old Mark. But I still have it hanging in my closet.)

Why Not?: "The Best People"

This is the seventh in a series of posts on the reasons I will not be voting to return the former president to the White House. My focus here is not to support his opponent but instead to explain why I believe that Donald Trump is manifestly unqualified for the role.

"If you're dumb, surround yourself with smart people. And if you're smart, surround yourself with smart people who disagree with you."

Isaac Jaffe (character from Sports Night TV show, written by Aaron Sorkin)

This is not the first (or last) instinct in the world of Donald J. Trump.

John Dickerson wrote in his thoughtful book, The Hardest Job in the World: The American Presidency:

“Donald Trump repeatedly promised he would hire "the best people." He did not. That is not my opinion; it is President Trump's, which he expresses frequently. Trump has said that his first secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, was "dumb as a rock" and "lazy as hell." His attorney general, Jeff Sessions, was "scared stiff and Missing in Action," "didn't have a clue," and "should be ashamed of himself." Trump described one of his assistants, Omarosa Manigault Newman, as "wacky," "deranged," "vicious, but not smart," a "crazed, crying lowlife," and finally a "dog." After lasting only eleven days as communications director, Anthony Scaramucci "was quickly terminated 'from' a position that he was totally incapable of handling" and was called "very much out of control." An anonymous adviser to the president was called "a drunk/drugged-up loser." Chief strategist Steve Bannon was "sloppy," a "leaker," and "dumped like a dog by almost everyone." His longtime lawyer Michael Cohen was "TERRIBLE," "hostile," "a convicted liar & fraudster," and a "failed lawyer." The president was "Never a big fan!" of his White House counsel Don McGahn and "not even a little bit happy" with Jerome Powell, his selection to head the Federal Reserve, whom he called an "enemy." His third national security advisor, John Bolton, was mocked as a "tough guy [who] got us into Iraq." When the president was irritated with his former chief of staff, John Kelly, the president's press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, declared that Kelly "was totally unequipped to handle the genius of our great president." 

First Time Around

A number of former staff members have clearly stated their opinion about the former president's return to the White House:

Mike Pence (former Vice President)

“I cannot endorse President Trump’s continuing assertion that I should have set aside my oath to support and defend the Constitution and acted in a way that would have overturned the election in January of 2021."

 John Kelly (retired Marine general, former White House chief of staff)

“What can I add that has not already been said?... A person that thinks those who defend their country in uniform, or are shot down or seriously wounded in combat, or spend years being tortured as POWs are all ‘suckers’ because ‘there is nothing in it for them.’ A person that did not want to be seen in the presence of military amputees because ‘it doesn’t look good for me.’ A person who demonstrated open contempt for a Gold Star family – for all Gold Star families – on TV during the 2016 campaign, and rants that our most precious heroes who gave their lives in America’s defense are ‘losers’ and wouldn’t visit their graves in France.

“A person who is not truthful regarding his position on the protection of unborn life, on women, on minorities, on evangelical Christians, on Jews, on working men and women... A person that has no idea what America stands for and has no idea what America is all about. A person who cavalierly suggests that a selfless warrior who has served his country for 40 years in peacetime and war should lose his life for treason – in expectation that someone will take action. A person who admires autocrats and murderous dictators. A person that has nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our Constitution, and the rule of law.

“There is nothing more that can be said... God help us.”

Mark Esper (former Secretary of Defense)

"In my view, any elected leader needs to meet some basic criteria: they need to be able to put country over self, they need to have a certain amount of integrity and principle, they need to be able to reach across the aisle and bring people together and unite the country. Look, Donald Trump doesn’t meet those marks for me."

Mark Milley (former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff)

“He is the most dangerous person ever. I had suspicions when I talked to you about his mental decline and so forth, but now I realize he’s a total fascist. He is now the most dangerous person to this country... A fascist to the core.”

John Bolton (former U.S. National Security Advisor)

"Trump is unfit to be president... If his first four years were bad, a second four will be worse... Trump really cares only about retribution for himself, and it will consume much of a second term."

In fact, the list of the Republicans who oppose Donald Trump is pretty extensive.

Second Time Around

I hesitate to speculate on who Mr. Trump will pick to be on his cabinet and in his administration - but I would not be surprised to see:

• Jeffrey Clark -  who played a key role in Trump administration's attempts to use the Department of Justice to keep the former president in office
• Stephen Miller - the chief architect of the Muslim travel ban and family separation policy during the former president's first administration... and was exposed to have white nationalist leanings
• Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. - political candidate and environmental lawyer whose love for espousing conspiracy theories (vaccines cause autism, COVID targeting minorities, HIV not connected to AIDS, chemicals in the water causing transgenderism, etc.)
• Ken Paxton - current Attorney General of Texas... who was impeached by the Texas state House of Representatives in 2023 for alleged inappropriate favors done for donors, interference in federal investigations and retaliation against whistleblowers. He is also awaiting a much delayed trial on state securities fraud.
• Elon Musk - current owner of X/Twitter... and promoter of numerous conspiracy theories through his own X account, including some anti-Semitic posts. There are serious questions about his workplace ethics, particularly in the issues of sexual relationships with direct reports, drug use, and toxic work environments.

If you're interested in a deeper dive, Politico published a more extensive piece on this just a few days ago.

What's the Big Deal?

“Donald Trump believes he will be immune for anything he does once he’s in office. He will not respect the rulings of our courts, and people have to realize our courts can’t enforce their own rulings. So if a president refuses to carry out his obligation to do so, then we are no longer a nation of laws. The people that stopped him from his worst desires last time around won’t serve again."

(Liz Cheney, former chair of the House Republican Conference)

Important reminder: I am not attempting to defend the Biden administration or the Harris candidacy. I am simply pointing out that Donald Trump quickly gets rid of people who tell him the truth and is drawn to those who simply do his bidding - and that behavior does not deserve and will not receive my support.

The first post in this series focuses on tariff policy - at this point, Mr. Trump's belief that tariffs are a "magic wand" that can cure all sorts of problems - child care, grocery prices, bringing manufacturing jobs back to the U.S., etc. They're not.

The second post in this series focuses on immigration policy - the dehumanizing language, the abject lies, and the unbelievably foolish promises of mass deportation.

The third post in this series focuses on Mr. Trump's narcissism and potential cognitive decline.

The fourth post in this series focuses on the unbelievable record of lying by Mr. Trump.

The fifth post in this series focuses on the former president's support for those who brutally attacked police officers during the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

The sixth post in this series focuses on the extraordinarily odd decisions on the part of so many voters to support Mr. Trump despite his obvious disdain for their opinions and needs.

Why Not?: Things That Are Not Normal

This is the sixth in a series of posts on the reasons I will not be voting to return the former president to the White House. My focus here is not to support his opponent but instead to explain why I believe that Donald Trump is manifestly unqualified for the role.

Things that are not normal:

Evangelical Christians who rail against sexual promiscuity and the decline of marriage supporting a guy who said (on tape):

"I did try and f*** her. She was married. I moved on her very heavily. In fact, I took her out furniture shopping. … I moved on her like a b***, but I couldn’t get there and she was married. Then all of a sudden I see her, she’s now got the big phony t**s and everything... I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. When you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab ’em by the p***y. You can do anything.” 

U.S. military veterans voting for a man who dodged military service with bone spurs and made unbelievably tone-deaf comments about honor & sacrifice:

• “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers.” (speaking of Aisne-Marne American Cemetery with WWI dead)
• “suckers” (referring to the more than 1,800 marines who lost their lives at Belleau Wood)
• "Trump, after a separate trip to France in 2017, tells [John] Kelly he wants no wounded veterans in a military parade he’s trying to have planned in his honor. Inspired by the Bastille Day parade, except for the section of the parade featuring wounded French veterans in wheelchairs, Trump tells Kelly, “Look, I don’t want any wounded guys in the parade.” “Those are the heroes,” Kelly said. “In our society, there’s only one group of people who are more heroic than they are – and they are buried over in Arlington.” “I don’t want them,” Trump said. “It doesn’t look good for me.”" (CNN reporting on John Kelly - former Trump chief of staff - statement)

Republican leaders who lived through the Cold War and the threat of the Soviet Union excusing the President of the United States when he stands next to the former KGB agent/leader of Russia and answers a question about Russian attempts to influence the 2016 election: 

"My people came to me. Dan Coats [Director of National Intelligence] came to me, and some others. They said they think it's Russia. I have President Putin. He just said it's not Russia. I will say this: I don't see any reason why it would be." 

In other words, I am willing to believe the demagogic leader of a country over U.S. intelligence services.

And this admiration & excusing for Putin continues - on October 15th, the former president was asked about reporting by Bob Woodward that he had spoken with Putin multiple times since leaving office. His reply is... revealing.

"Well, I don't comment on that, but I will tell you that, if I did, it's a smart thing. If I'm friendly with people, if I have a relationship with people, that's a good thing, not a bad thing, in terms of a country. He's got 2,000 nuclear weapons, and so do we. China has a lot less, but they'll catch us within five years. If I have a relationship, I don't talk about... No, I don't talk about that. I don't ever say it, but I can tell you what, Russia has never had a president that they respect so much."

On October 17th, Mr. Trump opined that...

“That doesn’t mean I don’t want to help him [President Zelensky of Ukraine], because I feel very badly for those people, but he should never have let that war start."

Reminder: the war was started by a full scale Russian invasion of Ukraine (following the annexation of Crimea 8 years earlier.)

Union workers backing Mr. Trump despite his complete disdain for their work and/or their livelihood:

“They get away with murder because they say, ‘Oh yes, we’re building cars.’ They don’t build cars. They take ’em out of a box, and they assemble ’em. We could have our child do it." (interview - Oct. 15, 2024)

“I know a lot about overtime. I hated to give overtime, I hated it. I’d get other people—I shouldn’t say this, but I’d get other people in. I wouldn’t pay." (rally - Sept. 29, 2024)

-----

Here's the deal - there is no limit to the number of these kind of statements and behaviors by the former president that clearly indicate his lack of fitness to serve again. In just the last week, he's managed to:

• talk about the size of a dead golf legend's genitalia during a rally
• “When he took the showers with other pros, they came out of there. They said, ‘Oh my God. That’s unbelievable.’”
• stop answering questions at a town hall and have his staff play songs off his Spotify playlist for over 35 minutes
• "Let's not do any more questions. Let's just listen to music. Who the hell wants to hear questions, right?"
• referred to his supporters as "fat pigs"
• Tell them, ‘Jill, get your fat husband off the couch, get that fat pig off the couch. Tell him to go and vote for Trump, he’s going to save our country. Get him up, Jill, slap him around, get him up!'”
• called himself "the father of IVF" in a Fox News town hall
• "I'm the father of IVF. We really are the party for IVF. We want fertilization, and it's all the way and the Democrats tried to attack us on it, and were out there on IVF, even more than them. So, we're totally in favor."
• suggested that Abraham Lincoln should have negotiated to keep the Civil War from happening
• “Lincoln was probably a great president although I’ve always said, why wasn’t that settled?”
• reframed the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol as a "day of love"... in addition to putting himself on the side of the rioters
• "There were no guns down there. We didn’t have guns. The others had guns, but we didn’t have guns. And when I say “we” these are people that walk down, this was a tiny percentage of the overall, which nobody sees and nobody shows. But that was a day of love from the standpoint of the millions, it’s like hundreds of thousands."

This is not normal... and you don't have to normalize it by voting for the former president.

------

Important reminder: I am not attempting to defend the Biden administration or the Harris candidacy. I am simply pointing out that the obvious issues of cognitive decline and narcissism by Donald Trump do not deserve and will not receive my support.

The first post in this series focuses on tariff policy - at this point, Mr. Trump's belief that tariffs are a "magic wand" that can cure all sorts of problems - child care, grocery prices, bringing manufacturing jobs back to the U.S., etc. They're not.

The second post in this series focuses on immigration policy - the dehumanizing language, the abject lies, and the unbelievably foolish promises of mass deportation.

The third post in this series focuses on Mr. Trump's narcissism and potential cognitive decline.

The fourth post in this series focuses on the unbelievable record of lying by Mr. Trump.

The fifth post in this series focuses on the former president's support for those who brutally attacked police officers during the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.