Wishing Ditka's New Years wish not realized

Commenting upon his good fortune dodging the Grim Reaper following a massive heart attack at age 79, Da Coach Mike Ditka was asked his wish for the new year. His response was disheartening:

“You know what, I get upset at things like politics. But, I think we have to understand we have to do what is best for this country and remember we have freedoms here that no one else has and so many opportunities. Everyone just needs to stop whining about Democrat and Republican parties and just enjoy what we have. It is a good country.”

Translation: Everyone please stay out of politics.

Apparently upset over troubles of his beloved President Trump, Ditka wants us all to drop out and enjoy the benefits of life in America with all its 'opportunities'. Ditka has certainly enjoyed those opportunities, amassing wealth north of $30 million, first as an outstanding footballer and decent coach for a few years, and a decades long, fabulous second life as pitch man for products with his name slapped on. But on politics Ditka is a flop, having nothing of value to offer the millions of us working fervently for a better life for the non-Ditka's, saving the planet from man made climate change, ending America's senseless, trillion dollar wars, among other goals. But if up to Ditka, we'd do none of that. What a waste of a public spotlight.

As my Italian wife might might say, I'm wishing Da Coach "Cent'anni", a hundred years. But I also wish that regarding politics...he'd just shut up.

Troop withdrawal strips away secrecy of war party

After 17 years of murder, mayhem, $6 trillion and utter failure in the Middle East, one would surmise a groundswell of relief and support for the president's decision to withdraw all troops from Syria and half of the 14,000 in Afghanistan. Yet throughout Congress, the military, mainstream media there has been an avalanche of hysterical opposition from the entire left-right political spectrum. The most impassioned supporters of perpetual war on the right like Senator Lindsay Graham have been joined by otherwise progressive Democrats like Senator Chris Coons to argue for continued, that means endless, occupation. Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, CBS, ABC all trotted out their military and political commentators to trash the move as rash, un-vetted by our allies and the US establishment alike. Anti war critics, as usual, were largely ignored. What we're witnessing is the full frontal nudity of the US war party desperately trying to hang on to perpetual war which has made them rich and powerful. The president violated their cardinal rule to never withdraw from a perpetual war zone. His predecessor ended ground operations in Iraq and Afghanistan but left a contingent force of 'advisers', giving the lie to ending US military footprints there. Perpetual war is good for war party business. Consider US bomb makers who have supplied nearly 300,000 bombs dropped on the Middle East and Africa since 2001, helping kill about a hundred times more people than bad guys largely from and supported by our best weapons customer Saudi Arabia did on 911.

Getting out of one and possibly two of the many countries we defile with our bombs and our troops is the most important goal of the current initiative. Exposing the extent and ferocity of the war party which thrives on secrecy is a worthy side benefit.