Happy 92nd anniversary Kellogg-Briand Pact, the law that outlawed war

U.S. Secretary of State Frank B. Kellogg and French Foreign Minister Aristide Briand signed the Kellogg-Briand Treaty August. 27, 1928. A total of 63 nations joined the pact, making it the most ratified treaty in history at that time. While if did not prevent World War II, it established, for the first time in history, that aggressive war is an international crime, requiring that no territory seized in such wars be recognized by the international community. Its directive served as the foundation for the Nuremberg and Tokyo War Crime Trials. It has greatly diminished wars of territorial acquisition, but much work remains to fully secure peace around the world. Still on the books as US law but we violate it routinely. That must end.

Every year the West Suburban Peace Coalition conducts a Peace Essay Contest which asks the question: 'How can we better obey the law against war'. The winners this year were from Lombard, Wheaton and Lagos, Nigeria. Other entries were received from around the country.

Peace, if not now...when.

Walt Zlotow

Glen Ellyn

Trump’s plan to end racial strife – the one he’s subliminally presenting tonite

Though unprecedented racial strife is occurring under Trump administration governance, he’s blaming it all on ‘far left Democrats’. Stoking fear among suburban privileged is a shameful last gasp campaign tactic. Tho happening under their watch, this is all the Republicans have to offer.

1. Take away more of the pitiful health care resources available to the millions of poor minorities locked into urban wastelands. This will encourage more to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

2. Expand endless and massive availability of guns so the innocent can protect themselves from the lawbreakers but do nothing to reduce gun availability to dispossessed masses.

3. Pretend that there are no trigger happy cops, no white racists and no institutional racism.

4. Encourage vigilantes to supplement the police in protest situations. The Kenosha vigilante attack was a one-off aberration.

5. Continue to funnel America’s lower and middle class wealth to further enrich the already rich. Greater income inequality will encourage struggling minorities to strive harder.

6. Blame all of America’s racial strife on local Democratic rulers but offer no treasure to rebuild poor communities, provide jobs to the unemployed or ensure sustainable life resources such as health care facilities and healthy food stores.

7. Send Republican Black officeholders such as Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina on a Goodwill Tour of America’s urban wastelands to pitch this program of self help.

If greater chaos ensues, resign to hide out in the safety and sanctity of the bubble called Mar-a-Lago.

Red Summer in the time of pandemic

Why am I not surprised that the 9 states with the highest rate of pandemic infection are all red: IA AL KS ND SD TN MS GA AR

The virus may not distinguish victims based on party but it appears that people embrace risk based on party.

Ives careens from gays to Black Lives Matter to save nuclear family

Good grief, Jeanne Ives is at it again in her quixotic quest to save the nuclear family with preposterous memes. Back in 2013 then Illinois state rep Ives told a Christian radio audience gay marriage was the threat claiming it “was completely disordered. They’re trying to redefine society…trying to weasel their way into acceptability so they can push their agenda down into the schools…and we can’t allow that to happen”.

In 2020, Illinois 6th District congressional candidate Ives, unfazed by having used one vicious meme in her quest, has picked one even more egregious: condemnation of Black Lives Matter as “a Marxist organization that wants to destroy the nuclear family." Ives didn’t hide behind an obscure Christian radio station to spew this nonsense, but at a public online campaign forum. Ives’ preposterous condemnation of Black Lives Matter is not even original. I’ve seen that white nationalist meme online, even being spread by conservative acquaintances. They damage they do is minimal compared to a congressional candidate having public access to 750,000 residents she seeks to represent in Congress.

It’s not Black Lives Matter that threatens the nuclear family. Five centuries of institutional racism has already largely shattered the Black nuclear family. Jeanne Ives knows better. But just like her ludicrous and disgusting campaign to prevent marriage equality and gay rights, her sliming of Black Lives Matter proves her unfit for elective office.

Why so many bad cops?

Why did a Chicago cop pump 17 slugs into Laquan McDonald, who was a potential but not an imminent threat to anyone at the time? Why did a Minneapolis cop kneel on prostrate George Floyd’s neck for two minutes till his was dead? Most recently, why did two Kenosha cops shoot down unarmed Jacob Blake getting into his car inches from his three boys? With ubiquitous video we see these scenes play out on a virtual endless loop, igniting violent protests.

I’ve always revered both law officers and law enforcement. Every year they save untold thousands of lives, bring untold thousands to justice saving potential victims from truly evil persons. But it remains inexplicable there could be so many police who perform their sacred duty with incompetence and/or criminality. Why didn’t their training work to protect the public? Where was the intervention needed to identify and separate these bad cops from the competent and decent?

Both series of questions remain unanswered. But with a million cops, just 1% who disgrace the profession means 10,000 put citizens at risk. At 5%, it’s 50,000. At 10%, 100,000 are poised to set off the next civil disturbance after needless injuring or killing an unarmed, non-threatening citizen.

Why so many bad cops? Inquiring minds would like to know.

180,191 who won't be watching Trump extravaganza

Dead from virus he called a Democratic "hoax"

Security Council snapsback to U.S. demand for ‘snapback’ Iran sanctions

 

The U.S. once had great influence in the United Nations. For the first 58 years after its creation in 1945, the U.S. exerted enormous influence over world affairs at the UN. But in 2003 the U.S., through Secretary of State Colin Powell, told the UN egregious lies to justify its upcoming criminal war against Iraq that neither any country, nor the UN could stop. Hundreds of thousands of deaths later Iraq has been smashed into a failed state, along with Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, and Yemen; all targets of U.S. aggression. The UN has finally learned its lesson. The U.S. is a warmongering power never tiring of promoting murder and mayhem throughout the Middle East and Africa.

There was a pause in this insanity in 2015 with the U.S. led Iran nuclear agreement which took war with Iran off the table and began its re-integration into the world community. But Trump used re-engaging in Iran regime change as a signature campaign issue in 2016. With his election this was one promise he kept, withdrawing the U.S. from the Iran agreement. Trump assumed it would force Iran to capitulate to outrageous U.S. demands. When that failed Trump proposed using the ‘Snapback’ provisions of the nuclear agreement to re-impose crippling sanctions withdrawn by Iranian agreement compliance. The 15 member UN Security Council, representing overwhelming world opinion, found this proposal preposterous; America can’t invoke an agreement it walked away from as a horrible agreement. The vote in the Security Council was 13 to 2 against re-imposing sanctions, a stark measure of how far U.S. influence has fallen. Only tiny Dominican Republic joined to U.S. to re-impose Iranian sanctions.

Like Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in ‘Casablanca’, President Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo can commiserate thusly: “We’ll always have Dominican Republic”.