Op Epic Fury is another ill-planned military invasion with no plan for entering and exiting Iran. The American people were not informed, Congress was bypassed for approval to go to war, and allies were not consulted. The war is reported to be costing $2 billion a day, with a pending request for another $200 billion. Sadly, only human casualties on the US-Israeli side get reported. There are thousands of humans in Iran and Lebanon who have been killed or maimed. Millions have been dislocated and reduced to refugee status.

The MAGA monsters have repulsed us all by treating the war like a video game that has no real-life consequences. Warmonger Pete Hegsbeth is always animated when he talks about the military operations that he’s directing. His reports always end with a " we-are-winning " finale. The facts do not bear out that conclusion.

For starters, Iran shot down four F-16E fighter jets using its $30 million a pop drones. The estimated cost to build each F-16 is $70 million. Do the math. Iran’s closing of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the channel that facilitates the flow of crude oil, natural gas, and fertilizer to the world, was not factored in as a response. There’s now a regional war going on in the Middle East, and the operation has unleashed a global oil and financial crisis.

The president has managed to offend and alienate Muslim and Catholics with his insensitive antics. His genocidal threats to bomb “a whole civilization” were frightening for any civilized person. The most bizarre one is Trump’s posting of an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus Christ.

The world is questioning when action will be taken regarding the erratic leadership in the White House. It has become evident that Trump is unable to make sound and humane decisions, despite the growing calls to invoke the 25th Amendment. The U.S. Constitution gives Congress this last resort tool to maintain steady control, but the effort has yet to gain sufficient attention or legislative traction.

Wisconsin congressional leaders are currently divided along party lines regarding support for Trump’s war and his proposal for an additional $200 billion to continue military operations in Iran. With a daily cost of $2 billion for an undeclared and illegal war, U.S. lawmakers should be condemning all aspects of this conflict. Instead, citizens are discovering how both Congress members and Trump family members are financially benefiting from the war.

With the No Kings protests behind us, we who believe in democracy, must turn the fiery momentum into solid acts of resistance that disrupt business as usual, that organize our communities for local battles, and that bring a Democratic takeover of the House and Senate in November. Midterms are not a panacea for the political quagmire that we are in, but they will be a decisive and welcome road away from authoritarianism.