Saturday, March 08, 2025

The Russians aren’t coming, the Russians aren’t coming

 The Russians aren’t coming, the Russians aren’t coming

The US pause of all weapons and intelligence to Ukraine has got some Western European countries in uproar.
French President Emmanuel Macron is scrambling to make up the slack by pledging massive military aid to Ukraine by France and whichever neighbors he can con into squandering their treasure to sustain Ukraine’s lost cause against Russia. Macron may as well be shouting the ‘The Russians are coming, the Russians are coming.’ when he blurted out “Russia has become a threat to France and Europe for years to come. I want to believe that the United States will remain by our side, but we need to be ready if that were no longer the case. The future of Europe should not be decided in Washington or in Moscow.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned, “We are living in the most momentous and dangerous of times.” German Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz recently declared that Europe had “five minutes to midnight.”
For 76 years Europe NATO members have been dependent on Uncle Sam to save their bacon from an imaginary enemy. The aforementioned leaders are now pledging to make up for America’s pullback from their own economies already weakened by three years of aid to the lost war in Ukraine. They are calling for EU member states to take on additional debt and ramp up military spending by $840 billion over four years, some of which will continue weaponizing the war in Ukraine till the last Ukrainian soldier is dead.
Macron recklessly went further stating that French troops could be sent to Ukraine. “Our forces will be there if necessary to guarantee peace, not before a peace agreement is signed. We will continue to meet with allies to move toward the signing of such an agreement. The only thing French and other European troops in Ukraine will guarantee is being attacked by Russia and possibly triggering nuclear war.
The US should continue to work with Russia to end the war, reestablish normal diplomatic relations and reinstate the 3 nuclear agreements America dumped with Russia this century The survival of peoplekind depends on this détente.
While a daunting task, if those objectives can achieved the US should further encourage Europe to provide for their own defense by withdrawing from NATO which became obsolete 34 years ago when the Soviet Union went poof. With a GDP ten times Russia's, that should be snap.
If America does withdraw from Europe, the hardliners in France, Germany and the EU, might come to their senses that…the Russians aren’t coming, the Russians aren’t coming.

Thursday, March 06, 2025

Trump promotes Israeli genocide of Gaza in word and deed

 Trump promotes Israeli genocide of Gaza in word and deed

Trump’s predecessor Biden kept mum while he funneled tens of billions of dollars in genocide weapons to Israel to utterly destroy Gaza.
 
But not Trump. He sounded positively ghoulish Wednesday promising death to the people of Gaza if all hostages aren’t released. “To the People of Gaza: A beautiful Future awaits, but not if you hold Hostages. If you do, you are DEAD! Make a SMART decision. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW, OR THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY LATER! I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job. This is your last warning”
Trump’s self incriminating genocide words followed his expediting billions in additional genocide weapons for Israel to “finish the job.”
Israel responded to Trump’s words of genocidal encouragement by cutting off entry of critically needed aid in violation of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas. Trump backs Israel trying to get remaining hostages released without Israel withdrawing from Gaza and agreeing to a permanent truce.
 
Trump also backs Israel’s “Hell plan” that would cut off water and electricity into Gaza prior to a full scale resumption of the genocide.
 
Trump’s Gaza genocide policy reminds me of Michael Corleone in the Godfather’: ‘It’s not personal…It’s business.’

Wednesday, March 05, 2025

Chicago Tribune again lets its readership down with one sided opinions on Russo Ukraine war

 Chicago Tribune again lets its readership down with one sided opinions on Russo Ukraine war

 Several weeks ago I took issue with the Trib’s letters policy for publishing 3 letters about this war, all of which opposed negotiating an end to the war which is a lost cause.
Today’s Wednesday, March 5 letters section continued this shameful approach to journalistic fairness, publishing 7 letters all of which opposed Trump’s peace initiative to end this 3 year long war. 
‘President Donald Trump is letting us down in his approach to Ukraine’ claims Trump is not using diplomacy when the opposite is true. Trump ended 3 years of Biden refusing to meet, even talk with Putin, which is the essence of diplomacy. Trump immediately reached out to Putin beginning diplomatic negotiations which have a decent chance of ending this catastrophic war destroying Ukraine. We should be supporting this astonishing resumption of diplomacy which could end the dying.
Still time to act’ takes a shotgun approach to criticizing Trump’s character, including mischaracterizing his Ukraine war peace initiative, 3 years overdue, as “abandoning our Western allies and siding with Vladimir Putin” The reality is Trump recognizes the war is lost and must be ended on terms establishing peace in Europe. That includes recognizing Russia’s security concerns as well as Ukraine’s, including its Russian leaning citizens in the Donbas Kyiv warred against for 8 years prior to the Russian invasion.  
‘Abandoning its role’ castigates Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for supporting the Trump peace initiative, not because his desire for peace is sensible, but because he dared say that “strong men make peace, weak men make war”, implying Orban is channeling tyrants like Hitler and Stalin. It then spreads the preposterous pro war meme Putin seeks to reestablish the Soviet Union
‘Editorial board mum’ criticizes the Trib for not editorializing against the Trump/Zelensky dustup last Friday. No issue there but alas, the Trib allowed the writer to falsely claim Trump “spouted Kremlin talking points and stabbed Ukraine in the back.” What Trump wisely did was publically break with the failed Biden proxy war policy that has largely destroyed Ukraine as a viable state. His peace initiative, if followed thru, will bring long overdue peace to the region while providing mutual security for Russia, Western Ukraine and the formerly beleaguered Donbas Ukrainians seeking protection from their former government.  
‘We are a disgrace’ totally ignores the critical need to negotiate an end to the Russo Ukraine war, focusing instead on optics. What Trump did was publically inform Zelensky before the world that the war is lost (“you have no cards to play”) and must be ended forthwith. That was not “disgraceful, appalling, mortifying, dangerous”. It just may prevent the next hundred thousand Ukrainian deaths; even nuclear war.
‘Weakening our power’ mischaracterizes Trump’s Ukraine peace initiative as “weakening our power”. That ship sailed long ago when America began weakening its power by invading Iraq and Afghanistan, destabilizing Libya, weaponizing jihadists to overthrow Syria’s leader, enabling Israel’s genocide in Gaza, and yes, provoking the Russian invasion of Ukraine. By all means “Lets’ have long term influence and prosperity.” We can begin that by sensibly and quickly ending the Russo Ukraine war.
 ‘I don’t support this’ was hyperbolic in its bizarre characterization of the public Trump/Zelensky dustup” as “from a gangster movie, leaving me with an overwhelming shock, embarrassment, sadness, alarm, anger and frustration, a disgraceful display of disrespect, arrogance and bullying”.
Whew. What transpired was the end to 3 years of Zelensky asking, begging, demanding endless billions in US weapons so he can continue his lost war to regain the Donbas and Crimea. More importantly, it signaled the US will no longer put the world at risk of nuclear war from a senseless proxy war to weaken Russia that should never have been undertaken.
Seven is considered a lucky number. But 7 letters in today’s Chicago Tribune, all bashing Trump for seeking peace in Ukraine was not lucky for Trib readers seeking both sides of this critical issue.
Walt Zlotow, West Suburban Peace Coalition, Glen Ellyn IL

Tuesday, March 04, 2025

International Criminal Court should add Trump officials to Biden officials being referred for possible war crime prosecution

 International Criminal Court should add Trump officials to Biden officials being referred for possible war crime prosecution

US-based human rights NGO Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) has formally requested that the International Criminal Court (ICC) launch a probe into former US president Joe Biben, his Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for enabling Israel’s war crimes in the Gaza.
DAWN board member and prosecutor Reed Brody announced “By continuously and unconditionally providing Political support and military support to Israel while being fully aware of the specific crimes committed by Netanyahu, Gallant, and their subordinates, president Biden, secretary Blinken, and secretary Austin contributed intentionally to the commission of those crimes while at least knowing the intention of the group to commit the Israeli Crimes, if not aiming of furthering such criminal activity,”
DAWN’s filing highlights that US support includes at least $17.9 billion in military, intelligence, and targeting assistance.
DAWN should amend their referral to include President Trump and his Secretaries of State and Defense Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth.
Unlike his more reticent predecessor, Trump is almost gleeful in his support of Israel’s genocidal ethnic cleaning of Palestinians from Gaza. He brazenly touts removal of every Palestinian from Gaza so he can rebuild it as a Trumpian showplace…and not for a Palestinian state, but for a Greater Israel.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio can’t get US genocide weapons to Israel fast enough. He expedited a $4 billion shipment of them for use when Israel likely resumes the genocide there. He condemned the Biden administration for its holding up a single weapons shipment, claiming his reversal demonstrates Israel will never incur a weapons delay from the Trump administration.
New Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth boasted he’s a Christian Zionist at his confirmation hearings and fully supported the Israeli destruction of Gaza. He wants Israel to kill every member of Hamas, ignoring that for extremist Israeli leaders, every Palestinian in Gaza is Hamas.
Republicans and Democrats agree on only one horrifying issue. Regardless of who resides in the White House, enabling Israeli genocide in Gaza gets their complete, undivided support.
The International Criminal Court should combine both parties in their war crimes inquiry.

Sunday, March 02, 2025

Trump Zelensky dust up was policy, not theater

 Much of what President Trump told Ukraine President Zelensky in their contentious public meeting Friday was valid...and needed to be said to achieve peace. A sampling of the truths Trump told Zelensky:

 
1. Ukraine must seek immediate ceasefire not more war
2. Why? The war is lost with Zelensky having “no more cards to play” to achieve his unrealistic, indeed delusional war objectives.
3. Only the US can achieve war's end thru a negotiated peace with Russia. What Trump omitted is that this has always been America’s war simply using Ukraine proxies to fight it.
4. Ukraine is running out of soldiers, relying on old men and conscripts snatched off the street to fight a lost cause.
5. Zelensky could start WWIII with his efforts to keep war going by attacking deep into Russia.
 
Trump’s comments signaled a near complete break with predecessor Biden’s embrace of the weak, compliant Zelensky to fight the war to weaken Russia and keep it out of the European political economy.
 
Trump knows the war has nothing to do with Europe or America’s national security interests and must be ended.
 
If the Oval Office dustup offends people who want this war to continue indefinitely, possibly going nuclear, then by all means be outraged. But if you want to end this lost war utterly destroying Ukraine so US can weaken Russia, then join the peace community in supporting Trump's peace initiative.
 
This war has put peoplekind at risk of nuclear annihilation for all 1,100 days since it began. That must end.
 
Walt Zlotow, West Suburban Peace Coalition, Glen Ellyn IL