Any but America

 Likely every functioning democracy in the world, but for America, would have indicted, charged, convicted and imprisoned Donald Trump by now for sedition and his attempted coup January 6.

America, every one of those functioning democracies is watching you tonight and succeeding nights, to see if you really are a shining city on a hill...or a cesspool of a dying democracy.

Drug diversion program expansion not far enough

Bravo to Chicago top cop David Brown for expanding the drug diversion program which allows low lever drug possessors to get treatment instead of felony drug charges  

But the improvements are minimal: the maximum amount of drug is increased from one gram to just two. How bout making it 454 grams or one pound. Without evidence the user is selling, a more serious offense, why not cut the offender slack that he/she’s merely stocking up like many folks do with daily staples.  

Another deficiency? Why disqualify persons for having convictions for gun possession, sex offenses and violent crimes within the past decade. These are the most critical people we need to get into treatment to have a chance to turn away from crime and possibly engage in productive lives.  

America still has a long slog ahead to move on from criminalization of drug use to humane treatment instead of incarceration. Chicago took a baby step with its 2018 pilot program in the West Side 11^th police district. Even with its expansion city wide last year, only 800 drug users have been diverted from criminal charges.  

Let’s turn that drop in a bucket into an avalanche of rehabilitated drug users.  

Missile systems for Ukraine may kill more Ukrainians than Russians

Uncle Sam continues to ingest stupid pills in his lust to isolate and degrade Russia over their war in Ukraine.

Thousands of sanctions and $54 billion in weaponry are not getting the job done. It’s just getting more Ukrainians killed for nothing, when negotiations and diplomacy could have ended the war early on.

A hundred plus days of U.S. failure in Ukraine has not deterred our obsession with weaponry over diplomacy. We’re now contemplating sending our High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) with a range of 50 miles that could hit targets in Russia. Not to worry. President Biden will only send them if Ukraine President Zelensky promises not to fire them into Russia. What’s the penalty if he does…Double Secret Probation?

Russia’s war demonstrates Russia does not bluff when it comes to protecting its perceived existential national security interests. It may be criminal, just as every failed U.S. initiated or joined war this century was criminal.

Yesterday, Russia fired missiles into Ukrainian capital Kiev to destroy U.S. made tanks. Missile systems that could target Russia will almost certainly bring a more robust Russian response killing only Ukrainians, not the missile systems makers.

After a hundred days both the U.S. media and populous has largely moved on from Ukraine to more immediate concerns such as mass shootings degrading machine gun nation.

That’s unfortunate because U.S. abrogating its responsibility to use diplomacy instead of endless weapons will simply get more Ukrainians killed…and possibly blow up the whole world as well.