Some random thoughts while wondering why Bigfoot is suddenly on the move in Northeastern Ohio:

• I’m having a bit of a hard time getting worked up about the United States and Israel taking out most of Iran’s leadership and a good portion of the rogue country’s military assets.

The militant theocracy brought this on itself by acting for decades as the worldwide leader in state-sponsored terrorism and professing a desire to acquire nuclear weapons. Iran has had this coming for a long time.

Critics of President Donald Trump are saying the attack was unconstitutional and/or simply a convenient distraction from — take your pick — the Epstein files, an underperforming economy and the administration’s ICE-capades.

Where were all these constitutionalists when then-President Barack Obama was dropping bombs on bad actors and employing new drone technology to take them out? What were we supposed to have been distracted from during the Obama years?

Can we all just admit that many people’s approval or disapproval of a POTUS using military force depends on the Commander in Chief’s political affiliation and overall popularity?

• If it is true that the U.S. took out a school for girls as part of its initial strikes, that is terrible and inexcusable with today’s military technology. If American and Israeli intelligence can figure out when and where dozens of top Iranian leaders are at a given time, they should also be more than able to minimize harm to innocent noncombatants.

• Kudos to Trump for finally sending Kristi Noem packing as Department of Homeland Security secretary. The only question is why it took this long.

Noem’s responses to the killings of two protestors in Minnesota were embarrassing, she has been accused of a dalliance with her chief of staff Corey Lewandowski — who was part of Trump’s 2016 campaign team — and she spent $220 million on a DHS ad campaign that featured her as some sort of makeup-enhanced cowgirl on horseback.

But while Trump gets credit for finally cutting his losses with Noem, the fact is that she had no real DHS-level credentials. She got the job primarily because she was an ardent Trump supporter and — frankly — looks good on TV or at a podium. We know Trump likes those things.

In fact, Noem was considered a viable candidate to be his VP in the 2024 race until she wrote a book and included a story about shooting and killing a puppy because it was too rambunctious for her tastes. Who shoots a puppy? That says it all about her character and compassion. Telling the entire world about it in a book shows she lacks common sense.

• Noem’s replacement — Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin — passes the Trump loyalty test, which seems to be the most important criterion. But he also has little in the way of credentials that seem relevant to DHS, unless he’s called upon to deliver a roundhouse kick. You see, he’s a former MMA fighter.

• A tip came in this week about an election candidate facing a felonious assault charge who showed up at a fundraising event for Someplace Safe last week. A bold move, no?

Just a few minutes later, a reader submitted a Sound off! item on the same topic. You can read it elsewhere in today’s opinion section.

The person was clearly appalled and, frankly, was not wrong — the move reeks of an amazing lack of self-awareness. Just a bad look all around.

• I’m still wondering how the Trumbull County Commissioners could approve electricity and gas aggregation deals without looking at competing bids or even knowing exactly what the plans they signed off on will cost customers.

Well, not all of the commissioners approved the deals recommended by the County Commissioners Association of Ohio. Rick Hernandez was the lone “no” vote on both, saying he couldn’t sign off on something without knowing how it would affect customers or if a cheaper alternative might be available to the county.

• One extremely unfortunate aspect of spring-like weather is that we can bank on a number of motorcycle-related crashes happening — many of them resulting in fatalities. The first such tragedy of the season happened Sunday evening on Route 82 in Masury.

A 62-year-old Sharpsville, Pa., man was killed and his 18-year-old passenger was seriously injured when their westbound motorcycle collided with an eastbound vehicle driven by an 87-year-old woman who apparently tried to turn left onto Addison Avenue. The motorcycle reportedly struck the vehicle on its right side.

Accidents like these are the main reason I don’t ride. When my brother died in 2005, my nephew had to decide what to do with his Harley-Davidson. Neither of us were motorcycle guys, so we sold the bike. My daughter was about 7 then, and I couldn’t imagine not being there for her. You can be the best motorcycle rider, but the fact is that when you’re on the road, you are placing a lot of trust in other drivers. Riding was fun the couple of times I’ve been on a bike, but I don’t trust other drivers easily.

Not to mention the aspect of riding a motorcycle that people don’t seem to talk about much — the potential of animals darting out in front of bikes. I don’t trust deer, raccoons or other wildlife that much, either.

If you ride, stay safe and be aware of others on the road. If you’re driving a car or truck, do what those bumper stickers suggest and look out for motorcycles.

Ed Puskas is editor of the Tribune Chronicle and The Vindicator. Reach him at epuskas@tribtoday.com or 330-841-1786.