It has come to my attention that many in the younger generations are confused about Jane Fonda’s recent statements on the Iran strikes. They’re not asking hard questions. They’re following and supporting them blindly.
From the crow’s nest, I’d like to sound a warning: that’s a mistake. If you’d like to see things from that perspective, I invite you to please continue reading.
When Jane Fonda was just 12, her father Henry Fonda had her mother, Frances Ford Seymour, committed to a mental institution (Craig House Sanitarium) amid severe bipolar disorder and her own history of trauma. There, on her 42nd birthday in 1950, she took her own life by slitting her throat with a razor.
This was an experience for Jane during her formative years that did more than scar and wound her deeply. It shaped much of her personality into a concrete and unforgiving stance against anything she considers to be “wrong,” whether it is truly wrong in the bigger picture or not.
We can have empathy on that point. It’s understandable. When a child loses a parent to suicide, is initially lied to, and is left carrying unspoken guilt (as Jane has described feeling for years, believing it must somehow be her fault), the world can feel dangerously unpredictable.
From a psychological perspective, consider this. To regain a sense of safety and control after such an experience, especially in childhood, some people build rigid moral frameworks. They develop a zero tolerance stance regarding perceived injustice, and absolute positions on right vs. wrong.
This serves as a shield against further vulnerability. This does not, however, excuse poor judgments or harmful actions, but it helps explain why Jane’s activism often feels so uncompromising and personal.
If you think this is a family whose opinions and stances on war, patriotism, or anything else are inherently valuable and worth following blindly… think again. Jane Fonda has a long history as an activist, and many — especially those who are true patriots and those who have risked their lives to defend this country — see her as a traitor to her country, and to themselves.
In 1972, during Vietnam, she visited North Vietnam, broadcast anti-war messages on enemy radio, and posed on an anti-aircraft gun aimed at U.S. planes. This earned her the “Hanoi Jane” label. Critics, including many vets, argue it boosted enemy morale and even endangered American POWs.
The root of sharing this information with you is point to this: there are reasons beneath the surface that drive Jane, and many activists, against not just the current war but against many broadly “just” examples they deem to be “wrong.” Those reasons aren’t primarily because they care about America’s security or strength.
The reality is that many activists operate from a deep personal wound. Because theirs was stolen (agency, love, safety), they seek control and personal power in the world as a form of self-protection. It’s understandable on a human level… but it’s not good when it shapes national policy views.
It’s personal safety filtered through their distorted understanding of reality and the world. I’ve told you hers. It’s not about you, or what’s best for the country. It’s more about her unresolved pain playing out on a public stage. Ultimately, Jane is wrong about this current war too, just like she was wrong about Vietnam.
In recent days (specifically February 28 and March 1, 2026) Jane Fonda joined hundreds at an emergency rally outside Los Angeles City Hall against the U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran. She called them an “unnecessary, unprovoked war of choice” that violates law, echoes Vietnam, and urged people to hit the streets to stop it, saying things like “We stopped Vietnam, we can stop this” and “Let regime change start at home.”
Yet, from the crow’s nest, these strikes targeted a regime linked to terrorism sponsorship and, more recently, the massacre of its own people. Where was Jane when reports from sources like Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and others estimated thousands to over 36,000 civilians and protesters killed in the January 2026 crackdowns alone, with IRGC security forces using shoot-to-kill tactics, snipers, and mass executions on their own people during nationwide protests?
Let us employ some common sense and general morality now. Opposing defensive actions outright risks aligning with (or at least excusing) forces that threaten real innocents, U.S. interests, and global stability. The activists have gotten it twisted, even to the point of indirectly supporting terrorism by undermining necessary defense.
The main message I’d like to drive home here is this:
Please listen to what is righteous, not what is self-righteous. Don’t let celebrity, moral posturing, and unresolved personal trauma lead you — or, more importantly, our country — to destruction under the guise of importance and virtue.
What I Mean by Righteous vs. Self-Righteous
True righteousness isn’t something we manufacture from our hurts, opinions, or platforms. It’s not about being the loudest moral voice or using pain to justify control over others.
True righteousness is humble submission to God’s truth, justice, and mercy, seeking His will above our own agendas. The Bible contrasts this clearly:
For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. —Romans 10:3
Many chase their own version of “rightness” through activism or stances, ignoring God’s standard. True righteousness requires surrender, not self-establishment.
The Pharisee boasted of his deeds and looked down on others; the humble tax collector cried for mercy and went home justified… For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. —Luke 18:9-14 (the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector)
Self-righteousness puffs up with moral superiority; true righteousness comes through humble repentance and dependence on God.
…not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith. —Philippians 3:9
Our righteousness isn’t earned by personal crusades or trauma-fueled virtue-signaling—it’s a gift received by faith in Christ.
God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. —James 4:6 (Echoing Proverbs 16:18: “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”)
Pride, often rooted in unresolved wounds, leads to downfall. Humility opens the door to God’s grace and real protection from deception.
All our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. —Isaiah 64:6
Even our best human efforts fall short without God. Don’t trust in self-generated morality; trust in the One who is truly righteous.
Closing Prayer
Today, I close not with the usual “Closing Thoughts,” but with a prayer.
Lord, grant us all eyes to see the difference between self-righteous posturing and Your true righteousness. Help us discern truth over celebrity influence, justice over personal agendas, and humility over pride. Protect our nation and guide us by Your Word, not unresolved pain. Amen.
The Twin Tree Project 