Enshrine Allen…but elevate Minoso to Hall first

The recent death of baseball great Dick Allen brought calls for his election to the Hall of Fame. His exclusion so far has had much to do with his early career battles against racism which unfairly tabbed him a ‘troublemaker’.

Much as Allen deserves his ticket to Cooperstown, baseball biggies should first enshrine an original member of the ‘Go-Go White Sox’, Saturino Orestes ‘Minnie’ Minoso. When Minnie stepped to the plant May 1, 1951 he was a 28 year old rookie, having lost five Major League seasons to segregation  Enshrine Allen…but elevate Minoso to Hall first. He smacked a Vic Raschi fastball into the center field bullpen, ushering in the Go-Go era on the South Side after 32 years in the American League wilderness, following the Black Sox scandal of 1919. Minnie had a monster rookie year, batting .326 average, 56 extra base hits, 112 runs, 76 RBI, 31 stolen bases and a .422 on base percentage, but denied Rookie of the Year honors to Gil McDougald whose stats paled Minoso’s in every category but whose pale skin gained him the award.

Fifty-one was no fluke. Minoso was a nine time All Star, led the league in triples and stolen bases three times each, hits once and sacrificed his body, being hit by 192 pitches on way to leading the league ten times in that painful stat. Oh yes, three gold gloves for fielding in his 30’s, the last at age 37. After retiring in 1964 at 41, Minoso played 9 seasons in the Mexican League, hitting .360 with 35 doubles and 105 RBI’s his first season.

The fact that Minnie, unlike Allen, had a lovable personality without a whiff of conflict, hasn’t helped his cause. Minoso’s brilliant career entertained millions over his 17 seasons in the Bigs, overcoming racism early on. Time for the Hall to right a long standing wrong and put Minnie where he belongs with his fellow greats.

Hacking very bad; assassination very cool

I love my country, but not enamored of its raging hypocrisy. Last January 3 we flew a drone over Baghdad Airport, dropping a bomb on a car, killing top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and nine other Iranians and Iraqis. That would be the equivalent of Iran assassinating the U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and staff members from both the U.S. and an ally. The U.S. didn’t try to hide its treacherous act of war on Iran. We positively gloated how our mass murder was justified to make America safer. Five days later Iran retaliated by bombing U.S. facilities in Iraq, injuring 11 soldiers from concussion. The tepid Iranian response likely avoided all out war, something Iran wisely chose to avoid being obliterated.

But America is shocked, shocked, any country would hack into our government and corporate computer systems for nine months, shortly after we implemented our new assassination strategy. Whoever did it may simply have been seeking to uncover which top level foreign government official Is next on Uncle Sam’s hit list.

Many in government and the media are demanding a strong response against assumed hacker Russia without offering any proof Putin did the deed. Bombs won’t work as Russia has almost as many operational nukes as we do. Best they’ve come up with is more economic sanctions and….a reverse hack.

When it comes to conducting itself lawfully, Uncle Sam is fond of saying, ‘Do as I say…not as I do’.

The Russians are hacking. The Russians are hacking

If one reads or listens to reports of the just revealed 9 month cyberattack on U.S. government and companies, it’s clear there is not one word to substantiate Russia’s guilt. The proof offered? “It’s pretty clearly Russia did it” was the belated response from Secretary of State Pompeo. The best cybersecurity company and hacking victim FireEye could offer? “It was an attack by a nation with top-tier offensive capabilities.” If true, the list includes the UK, Israel and China, besides Russia. Why wait for proof when fearmongering deflects from our gross cybersecurity negligence.

That doesn’t prevent the hyperbolic response we’re under grave threat from Russia that demands immediate and strong response. Sen. Romney called it “the high-tech equivalent of “Russian bombers repeatedly flying undetected over the entire country.” Cybersecurity expert Clint Watts offered “It’s long past the time for the U.S. to stand up to Russia and fight.” Pompeo, not waiting for proof, promptly closed our 2 remaining Russian consulates.

Those dwindling Americans with any interest in foreign policy know our government lies to us all the time. Hundreds of thousands dead in Iraq based on lies. Creating failed states in Libya and Syria based on lies. Obama’s last minute blink over lies Syria gassed its own people barely prevented a massive bombing in Syria’s civil war. Lies about Iran’s fictional nuclear program blew up the Iran Nuclear Agreement and almost blew up the Middle East. Lies about an imminent attack on U.S. forces caused Trump and Pompeo to assassinate a top and revered Iranian general, along with 9 other Iranians and Iraqis in Baghdad. Pompeo bragged about it, not caring one whit of worldwide revulsion over our criminality. How dare Russia or any country invade our information systems to uncover future U.S. skullduggery.

The biggest threat to world peace is America’s new U.S. Cold War against Russia. That’s because Russia’s 1,572 deployed nukes nearly match Uncle Sam’s 1,750. If not careful, we’ll both disappear, along with Mother Earth. Yet we endlessly ramp up inflated danger from a shadow of the Soviet behemoth we feared during Cold War I.

It’s not The Russians are hacking, the Russians are hacking. It’s The Americans are fearmongering, The Americans are fearmongering.

Congress has reversed Constitutional war making process

Article 1, Section 8, Clause 11 of the Constitution grants Congress sole power “to declare war”. Congress did that 5 times in 244 years, the last December 8, 1941. FDR didn’t unilaterally declare war against Japan. He asked, and was granted, permission from Congress.

Beginning with Harry Truman’s ‘Police Action’ launching the Korean War in 1950, presidents have chipped away at Congress’ war making power. So much so that military action is now virtually sole province of the prez. Congress is OK with that because it gives it the best of both worlds; their love of perpetual war and cover in case war goes badly. ‘Don’t blame Congress. This is the president’s war, not ours’.

Congress so loves war it has proclaimed a new war power, one that forbids the president from ending a current war without Congressional approval. Inserted in the $740 billion 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is an amendment withholding funds from any presidential troop withdrawal in a war zone without congressional approval. This quashes Trump’s order to remove all U.S. troops from our 20 year long Afghan war. Two decades of failure, with hundreds of thousands of casualties, including 2,354 U.S. dead, is simply bringing the Taliban full circle back to power in a war that should never have been fought.

Ending perpetual war is one issue Trump is both right on and in sync with U.S. public opinion. Congress will have none of that. They passed the NDAA with veto proof majorities to counter Trump’s possible veto over their refusal to fund troop withdrawals.

That is the new U.S. war Roach Motel. The President builds it. Congress prevents its demolition.