Yemen coronavirus cases 0; Yemen cholera cases 2,000,000

185 countries have experienced the coronavirus. Yemen is one of a handful that hasn’t, not a single case so far. That is not surprising. No one can get out of that war torn land to encounter an affected person, and no affected person would enter Yemen, suffering under the worst man-made humanitarian crisis on the planet. All this is caused by American bombs dropped from American planes piloted by Saudi Arabian pilots. Without US support there would be no war. With American support 200,000 have died; a hundred thousand from combat, a hundred thousand from starvation and disease. 5,000,000 suffer severe food insufficiency. 2,000,000 have contracted cholera. 2020 is on track to add 400,000 cholera cases to the Yemen catastrophe, largely inspired and enabled by the United States.

Yemenis aren’t worried by getting the invisible coronavirus. They’re worried about surviving another day in the dastardly war imposed upon them for the last five years by the very visible, flesh and blood Uncle Sam.

Unhappy 17th Anniversary Iraq war

It was bombs away in Baghdad at 8:34 PM Chicago time 17 years ago today. We're still there, still being killed by Iraqis who want us out, and still dropping bombs on the folks who want us out as well as innocent civilians nearby. Pete Seeger said it best in 'Where Have All The Flowers Gone':

"When will they ever learn...when will they ever learn".

1,151 days is enough; Trump should resign

In his first 1,150 days as president, Trump never once conducted himself as a decent leader of all Americans. His endless verbal assaults on perceived enemies, coupled with an obsession to overturn every decent Obama policy, was Trump’s version of Job One. And No. 1 on his Obama hit list was overturning health care to all, along with degrading the entire health care safety net championed by his predecessor. Funding for that is better spent on the military or tax cuts for Trump’s fabulously rich donor class.

But on presidential day 1,151, the invisible bug infesting the world finally penetrated his psyche. His weeks of denial, delay and cynical obfuscation was shattered enough for Trump to strain to appear presidential at a Covid-19 news briefing. But try as he might, the intrinsic Trump mendacity broke through the veneer of concern for all. When asked, he rated himself a perfect 10 out of 10 in his handling of the crisis. He mumbled a few words translated as ‘NO’ when asked if the buck for the virus crisis stops as his desk. He passed that buck onto governors, stating they need to order their own respirators rather than obtain them from the federal government. His praise of the governors contrasts starkly with his earlier public calling Washington Governor Jay Inslee a ‘snake’ for his perceived Trump criticism. That evening Trump tweeted that we’ve been invaded by a ‘China’ virus, an unsubtle dog whistle to his xenophobic base that the medical and financial shock to America is not his fault.

America; indeed the world, cannot wait for the remaining 309 days of a ruler whose incompetency is only exceeded by his sociopathy. Trump can best contribute to relieving the medical and financial crisis by resigning…today.

Extend Clovid-19 crisis beyond the pandemic

How bout 'Shelter In Place' for America's perpetual wars?

Perpetual war ignored at Biden, Sanders debate

Foreign policy got less than 10 minutes at last night’s debate and much of that was squandered by Biden’s red baiting Sanders over his alleged bromance with Chinese authoritarian leader Xi Jinping and dead Cuban authoritarian ruler Fidel Castro, simply because Sanders rightly pointed out their societal improvements in health and welfare. Sanders response was a spot on criticism of Biden’s vote for and cheerleading the criminal US invasion of Iraq. He also pointed out Biden’s current support for authoritarians like Saudi and Gulf State rulers.

But desperately absent was a discussion how to end our defilement of the Middle East and Africa with over 50,000 troops and endless bombings killing thousands of innocents every year. The Afghan war is in its 19th year still killing civilians there and getting occasional US soldiers killed. Same goes for our Iraq war now just 3 days from its 17th anniversary. We’re still enabling hostilities in Syria, Libya, Yemen, Niger, Somalia and others we don’t even hear about. Also absent was any mention of senseless and deadly US sanctions degrading life for Iranians, Venezuelans, North Koreans and Cubans; all targeted by regime change crazed Uncle Sam.

Lack of serious debate of perpetual war wasting trillions is a disgrace. We haven’t had a serious debate on perpetual war since George McGovern talked sense about Vietnam in 1972 and wound up losing 49 states. Every candidate since learned his lesson: leave endless killing to the Military-Industrial Complex. It’s good for the economy…and makes debating a lot easier.

Mental sufficiency required for last three standing

Bernie Sanders will be 79 on September 8
Joe Biden will be 78 on November 30
Donald Trump will be 74 on June 14

Biden and Trump occasionally sound disconnected and confused in public discussions. Sanders, though generally articulate, is noticeably slower in speech from twenty years ago.

We take it for granted that candidates will get and provide physical health certifications during their presidential campaigns. We do not require, nor do they offer, the same for their mental fitness. As the last three standing, all three owe it to America, indeed the world, to provide certification they are not in mental decline.

Thoughts on reaching 75

“He not busy being born is busy dying”
- It’s All Right, Ma (I’m only bleeding)’ by Bob Dylan

I don’t acknowledge birthdays. To me seems frivolous at best; haunting at worst. But making an exception for 75 which is a fair milestone, one I’ve been lucky to reach.

Why haunting? My birth date March 10, 1945, always congers up the Dylan lyric above. While I was busy being born in a safe, clean Chicago suburban hospital, a hundred thousand Japanese were being incinerated under 1,510 tons of napalm bombs dropped on Tokyo by 282 B-29s. A million were left homeless from the disappearance of 268,000 mostly wooden homes. American airmen donned their oxygen masks at low altitude to ward off the smell of burning flesh. It was the deadliest single day of human destruction from war in history, a dubious distinction I cannot separate from my entrance to life. Try as I might, it always emerges from my psyche upon awakening to mark another birthday. I learned about it early on, staring in horror at pictures of the man-made firestorm devouring one of the world's largest cities. The book was 'Life's Picture History of WWII'. I reviewed it cover to cover at about age 7, likely the first such book I did. The Cold War was raging. McCarthy was rampaging. I feared a similar fate awaited me from nuclear Armageddon. Still do. The doomsday clock is a hundred tics from midnight, the closest in my life. That is not progress.

I resented ‘Duck & Cover’, sticking my head under the desk in grade school to survive an imaginary atomic attack. I came to realize it better to go on with your head high learning and loving and laughing, then cowering before the inevitable. That may be the most important lesson I learned in my 75 years. Onward to 76.

How to tell your party is in moral decay?

When, as the IL Republican Party must do, run a 5 figure ad campaign to beg Republican voters not to vote for the white nationalist Neo-Nazi running for the second time as a Republican for a Congressional seat. It's not surprising white nationalist Arthur Jones is running as a Republican. All Republicans are not white nationalists...but every white nationalist is a Republican.

US sanctions worsening Covid 19 cases in Iran

US economic sanctions against Iran represent criminal acts of war against the people and government of Iran. Most Americans ignore this as it doesn't involves involve them in the least. No bombs being dropped, no people being shot, so what's the big deal?

But our needless and senseless Iran sanctions are degrading life for Iranians that no American would want to experience. Iran is now pleading with the world community to pressure Uncle Sam to end his cruel sanctions exacerbating the Covid 19 crisis there. Iran has nearly 5,000 cases, with over a hundred deaths, the forth most worldwide after China, Italy and South Korea. US sanctions impede Iran getting proper medical supplies to fight the pandemic.

Maybe the only benefit of the pandemic which is shutting down much US economic and social life...is that it will call attention to America's despicable economic sanctions against a number of countries which incur the mindless hate of our delusional, perpetual war government.

Why I will vote for Bernie Tuesday

His electability may be slipping away, but I’m voting for Bernie Sanders for President in the Illinois Primary Tuesday. I will do so for the same reasons I voted for him in 2016. He addresses the critical issues which damage our political culture, our society, our future and are not being fully addressed by the other wing of the Democratic Party.

Bernie opposes senseless overseas interventions which squander our treasure while getting thousands needlessly killed.

Bernie demands we address the national disgrace of growing income inequality in this 21st century Gilded Age.

Bernie understands the climate crisis is an existential threat that must be met head on without delay.

Bernie will work to quickly end the national shame of suffocating college debt inflicted upon students by the rapacious financial industry.

Bernie will unequivocally embrace the urgent need to extend the basic human right of decent health care to every American.

Bernie will champion an end to slave wages degrading tens of millions in the otherwise richest country in the world.

Bernie will fervently work to reform our cruel, wasteful, criminal justice system which imprisons 25% of the world’s prisoners from just 5% of the world’s population.

Not blessed with ESP, I have no idea how either Democrat will do against the morally, ethically and intellectually deficient pretender in the White House. Either could win…or neither. Therefore, I’m casting a vote I can be proud of. I’m aiming high, voting for the America I envision for myself, my children, grandchildren and future generations. This is a conservative vision of America in the truest sense of the word conservative.

And should Bernie not win the nomination, I will work to elect the less conservative Democratic candidate and push him toward that vision.

US to Iran: 'No ventilators for you'

US concern for the world wide Clovis-19 pandemic doesn't quite reach Iran. While claiming it has loosened restrictions on importing medical supplies, the US is still bottling up delivery of critically needed full face respirators, ventilators and decontamination units, as well as any medical supplies to Iranian military and police. This becomes a death warrant to Iranians living in the country with the third most worldwide Covid-19 deaths. State Department official Brian Hook said Iranians should not worry: “We are looking at what we can do, but the president right now is focused very much on the American people, but we can do two things at the same time. We’re looking at what we can do to help.”

The answer to that is simple. The US must end its murderous economic sanctions on Iran, which in this potentially catastrophic pandemic, amounts to a despicable war crime against the Iranian people.

Covid-19 kills silently, US war party kills explosively

It was 'bombs away' for the US military mission defiling Iraq yesterday. At least 26 alleged bad guys were blown to bits following a rocket attack that killed 2 US and one British solder and wounding 14 more in Iraq. Without an investigation or shred of evidence as to the culprits, the US launched attacks on 5 sites in Iraq and a Syrian border town. It never occurs to the US war party that the best way to protect US soldiers is to withdraw them from a region that will never stop fighting to get them out of their neighborhood. It doesn't matter who, just that many more than our two deaths must be avenged to maintain the fantasy that our presence is needed where we don't, indeed, never belonged.

The military says the attacks will continue till the threat to US troops is neutralized. Using up all those bombs will keep US bomb factories humming. The economy may be in free fall from silent killer Covid-19, but the noisy killer dropped from US bombers is just heating up.

US war criminals should pay Chelsea Manning’s $256,000 fine

How does the US deal with top leaders who lead America into senseless wars that kills hundreds of thousands? It lavishes millions in pensions and book deals on them to live out their lives in splendor. How about a lowly Army intelligence analyst who outed their war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan by giving classified documents to journalist Julian Assange? Manning was imprisoned for seven years, the first several of which under conditions described by the UN and humanitarian groups as torture. Released in 2017, Manning was tossed back in the clink last May for refusing to testify in a Grand Jury inquiry for the upcoming show trial of Assange, currently being extradited from the UK to be punished for exposing US war crimes. Finally released after 256 days, the Judge retained the thousand dollar a day fine Manning accumulated. That’s $256,000 that Manning owes Uncle Sam for the privilege of eight years of torture and imprisonment for the crime of outing war crimes.

We’ll never investigate, much less imprison US war criminals George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Don Rumsfeld and Condoleezza Rice for their crimes against the Afghan and Iraqi people. How about, at the least, we require each of them to cough up $64,000 to pay off Manning’s debt for serving humanity. That, as the name of an infamous game show from the 50’s suggests…is The $64,000 Question.