Trump to Ukraine: ‘Squander another half million casualties to prevent defeat on my watch’

 Trump to Ukraine: ‘Squander another half million casualties to prevent defeat on my watch’

Most esteemed observers put Ukraine’s dead and wounded at north of a half million in their lost war with Russia. Several million young Ukrainian men have fled conscription while stragglers are rounded up like stray dogs to be thrown into the meat grinder of warfare they’re totally unprepared to fight.

But the war is much more than Ukraine defending itself from a Russian invasion. It’s America’s proxy war to weaken, isolate Russia from Western European political economy. Its origins go back 17 years when the US pitched NATO membership to Ukraine to achieve that senseless goal. It virtually guaranteed war after the US engineered the 2014 coup against Russian friendly Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych. It ignited a civil war between the Kyiv government and the Russian cultured Ukrainians in the Donbas on Russia’s border. Russia tried diplomacy for 8 years to no avail before invading both to keep Ukraine out of NATO and end protect the beleaguered Donbas Ukrainians. Just before the invasion the US stupidly told Russia that NATO membership for Ukraine and Russia’s security concerns were not subject to diplomacy.

America’s best laid plans to prevail failed spectacularly. Now Ukraine will never join NATO but Donbas Ukrainians are largely safe and thrilled to be under Russian protection from the terrors imposed by Kyiv. Ukraine’s fate was sealed once Biden announced he’d only waste US treasure for weapons but not one drop of US blood for Ukraine’s defense. Three and a half years and over $200 billion in US/NATO weapons have simply put Ukraine on US/NATO life support.

Biden was able to keep Ukraine in the fight for nearly 3 years, squandering a half million of its finest, so he could pass the war on to successor Trump. After being eviscerated by the US national security class for his admitting defeat and withdrawing from the 20 year Afghan war, Biden was loathe to incur another defeat on his watch. So he loaded up Ukraine with tons of weapons in his last months to ensure Ukraine would not collapse before his leaving.

Even before retaking office, clueless Trump bragged he’d end the war in one day. He tried to browbeat Ukraine President Zelensky to negotiate war’s end, even humiliating him before the world in the Oval Office. One hundred seventy-five days in Trump is facing his own Afghanistan style defeat as Ukraine nears collapse.

To stave off impending defeat he reversed the Pentagon’s withdrawal of new weapons based on US stockpiles running low. But all he could sputter was that he’s releasing “defensive weapons” only which will do no good with Ukraine running out of cannon fodder to fire them.

For Trump that’s A-OK. ‘Fight on Ukraine…I’ve only got three and a half years to keep this going till I can pull a Biden and pass it on the next clueless idiot trying to defeat an undefeatable Russia.’ The real issue is not whether Trump will succeed. He can’t. The ominous issue facing the US, indeed peoplekind, is whether Trump’s plan to avert defeat will lead to nuclear war that has been a possibility every day in Ukraine for the past three and a half years.

Walt Zlotow, West Suburban Peace Coalition, Glen Ellyn IL

Rep. Green cracks open America’s decades long denial of Israel’s illegal nuclear arsenal

 Rep. Green cracks open America’s decades long denial of Israel’s illegal nuclear arsenal

Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA) became 1 in 535 congresspersons with the guts to call out Israel’s lawless nuclear weapons arsenal containing between 100 and 300 nukes.

She plans to introduce an amendment to strip $500 million from the 2026 NDAA (defense budget) for Israel. “I’m entering amendments to strike $500 million more for nuclear-armed Israel. And it’s important to say nuclear-armed Israel, because they do have nuclear weapons. And we already give them $3.4 billion every single year from the State Department. They don’t need another $500 million in our defense budget. That’s for the American people’s defense.”

Green represents the first serious crack in US administration, Congress and mainstream media’s lockstep denial of Israel’s nukes to avoid complying with US law. The Symington Amendment, a foreign assistance law, forbids military aid to countries trafficking in nuclear enrichment or technology outside of International Atomic Energy Administration (IAEA) safeguards

If the US admitted to Israel’s illegal nukes, it couldn’t give penny in military aid, much less the $3.4 billion Congress gifts to Israel every year on top of the roughly $20 billion we’ve given them to conduct their genocidal ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza. US aid represents nearly three quarters of Israel’s military spending since their genocide began in October, 2023.

Green, long a critic of the Israel Lobby, is likely to continue receiving her yearly bribe from the Lobby to support their
genocidal ethnic cleansing of Gaza and the West Bank….$0.

When the Lobby comes calling to the other 534 congresspersons, nearly all sputter ‘Step right up.’ None dare not utter one word against Israel’s illegal, destabilizing, dangerous nuclear arsenal.

Back in February 2009 at his first presidential press conference, Obama said this when Helen Thomas asked him if any Middle East countries possess nuclear weapons. “When it comes to nuclear weapons….I do not wish to speculate.” What Obama really said was ‘When it come to nuclear weapons, I do not wish to tell the truth.’ A big reason was Obama’ senseless plan to guarantee Israel $3.4 billion annually for 10 years, something he could not do if he did tell the truth.

It’s been 16 years, but we finally heard a governmental leader, albeit just a relatively powerless congressperson, answer that question truthfully.

Let’s hope the crack Green opened up on Israel’s nukes will expand into a Grand Canyon of nuclear sanity.

Walt Zlotow, West Suburban Peace Coalition, Glen Ellyn IL

Reckless US China policy not serving cause of peace

 Reckless US China policy not serving cause of peace

America is risking war with China in its obsession over the status of Taiwan with China.

That relationship is none of our business. Yet we’re risking war 8,000 miles from the Homeland on China’s doorstep that if started, would be virtually impossible to win, short of going nuclear.

Current US government and media narrative erases the last 6,000 years of China, Taiwan history to create a new cause célèbre for US military adventurism, America’s No 1 industry just gifted with the world's first trillion dollar annual budget. Without historical context, the US electorate is being deceived into supporting self-destructive policy foolishly deemed necessary to US national self-interests: defending freedom over authoritarianism on the other side of the world.

A brief review of the long tortured China, Taiwan history refutes that narrative.

Chinese from Southwest China settled Taiwan over 6000 years ago. Beginning in 1624, the Dutch and Spanish moved in to exploit Taiwan’s resources, as Europeans were want to do worldwide. But the Chinese kicked them out by 1683, ruling Taiwan for 212 years till Japan gobbled up Taiwan after in the Sino-Japanese War in 1895. For the next 50 years Japan used Taiwan (Formosa at the time) as a land based aircraft carrier for their pan Asian adventurism.

But at the Cairo Conference in 1943, the Allies declared a major war aim was full return of Formosa to China. This occurred by a UN mandate upon Japan’s surrender in 1945.

With Japan defeated in China, Mao’s communists resumed their civil war to overturn the corrupt, unpopular nationalist government of Chiang Kai-shek. In 1949, Mao prevailed. Chiang fled with about 2 million of his die hard supporters to Formosa, setting up their own version of the Republic of China renamed Taiwan.

The US looked at the 538 million Chinese living under communism on the mainland, the 2 million on Taiwan, and said ‘Nope, we’ll recognize Chiang on tiny Taiwan as the legitimate Chinese government till he can kick out the dreaded commies.’ They even gave Chiang the military assistance to prevent any unification with China which was inevitable without that support. Is it any wonder the people and government of China would embark on eventual reunification, whether taking years, decades or even a century?

On October 25, 1971, the UN ended the 2 China policy, voting to expel Taiwan, claiming to be the Republic of China, and replacing it with the mainland Peoples Republic of China. Just a year later Nixon’s thaw with mainland China cemented US recognition of the mainland One China policy. The US severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan, and in 1980 ended their security treaty with Taiwan initiated in 1955.

Without abandoning Taiwan completely, the US embarked on 5 decades of ‘strategic ambiguity’ which kept tensions with China over Taiwan’s status on the back burner of US China diplomacy.

That changed when President Obama’s ‘Pivot to Asia’ in his second term moved pro Taiwan policy to the front burner. His successors Trump, Biden and again Trump have so turned up the heat that war with China, over its long term plan for eventual absorption of Taiwan into Chinese sovereignty, is now a possibility.

From Strategic Ambiguity, President Biden authorized a provocative Taiwan visit by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, increased arms sales to Taiwan as well as Pentagon training of Taiwanese military. Worst of all Biden repeatedly pledged to defend Taiwan if China attacked.

Trump’s return to power offers no pullback from China hysteria. He’s filled his administration with China hawks including Trump himself and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Trump’s super China hawk, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, engages in reckless fearmongering touting America getting prepared for war with our most dangerous enemy. No surprise it’s China. China hawks in Congress include Senators Tom Cotton and Josh Hawley along with Representatives Mike Gallagher and Raja Krishnamoorthi. No congressperson pushes back against this madness as demonizing China goes with the job.

Ignoring the 6,000 yearlong interwoven China, Taiwan history has proven disastrous to sensible, peace promoting US diplomacy. America made the wrong decision on the Chinese Civil War in 1949 and has chosen to govern largely in ignorance for past 76 years. On this issue ignorance is not bliss. It may mean nuclear war.

Zelensky morphs from Ukraine’s Churchill to NATO’s Persona Non Grata

 Zelensky morphs from Ukraine’s Churchill to NATO’s Persona Non Grata

 

In late 2022 Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky was heralded by the US and NATO as the ‘Ukrainian Winston Churchill’. His youthful persona and steadfastness in playing Ukraine’s David to Russia’s Goliath in the US/NATO promoted proxy war with Russia was right out of central casting. Zelensky was the perfect counterpoint to the evil caricature the US and NATO portrayed Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

 

Zelensky represented the perfect US patsy to fight Russia without risking a single US soldier. We gifted him with over $150 billion in weapons, pushing the combined NATO total over $200 billion.

 

But Zelensky was stupid enough to believe the US hype he could prevail with NATO weapons but not one drop of NATO blood. He became increasingly delusional, demanding to join NATO and fighting on to regain every square mile of lost Eastern Ukraine land.

 

Neither will ever happen. Ukraine and its US/NATO sponsors utterly misjudged Russia’s insistence on forever ending NATO expansion and destroying the people and culture of Russian leaning Ukrainians in the Donbas region.

 

Ukraine essentially lost the war on Day One, but Zelensky refuses to negotiate an honorable outcome that recognizes both Russian security objectives. After nearly three and a half years, both the US and European NATO are ready to dump the proxy war ruining European NATO economies besides now basket case Ukraine.

 

In the US, Trump has been disparaging Zelensky’s stubbornness thruout his second term. Trump is moving on. He knows the war is lost, and US weapons are more sorely needed for Israel’s genocide in Gaza and to prepare for war with China over its Far East expansionism. Both take precedence over the lost war in Ukraine he blames on predecessor Biden. His reversal of last week’s announcement there would be no more weapons for Ukraine is just theater. Saying he will now “send some defensive weapons” is virtually meaningless.

 

The US/NATO hammer on Zelensky was on full display at the recent Hague NATO summit. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte threw cold water on Zelensky’s endless demand for NATO membership. Rutte put it nicely, “Of course, I cannot disclose anything about the summit declaration” (regarding NATO membership). NATO membership for Ukraine was, for the first time, not even on the summit agenda.

 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio even ruled out further Russian sanctions in the near future because they might jeopardize negotiations leading to a ceasefire.

 

Unlike previous summits, this one proposed no new specific weapons for Ukraine, simply referencing NATO’s pledge to boost military spending to 5% of GDP. Nor did it assign sole blame for the war to Russia.

 

Most ominous of all for NATO rescuing Zelensky’s burned up bacon is their statement that support for Ukraine is based on “enduring sovereign commitments to provide support to Ukraine, whose security contributes to ours.” Use of the word sovereign implies that each of NATO’s 32 members, not a united NATO, are free to provide aid to Ukraine or not. That represents a huge NATO pullback from the lost proxy war achieving nothing but a destroyed Ukraine and a strengthened Russia.

 

The Hague NATO summit’s view of Volodymyr Zelensky is now reminiscent of Sen. Lloyd Benston’s rebuke of George H.W. Bush’s VP candidate Dan Quayle during their 1988 debate: ‘We knew Winston Churchill….you (Zelensky) are no Winton Churchill.’

Shaw’s Rangers…the great but unheralded WWII Big Band

 Shaw’s Rangers…the great but unheralded WWII Big Band

Most Big Band fans know about Glen Miller’ Army Air Forces Overseas Orchestra which played for WWII Allied forces in England and later Paris from June ’44 thru the wars end. Numerous studio and concert recordings chronicle this amazing musical morale booster considered one of the best Big Bans of the era. Most also know it led to the end of Glenn Miller, lost on a short hop over the Pond to prepare for the band’s arrival and performing in Paris after the liberation.

But on the other side of the world, another fabulous military Big Band performed far from the safe, glittering London and Paris concert stages of Miller’s outfit.

Far superior musician and close competitor to Miller’s Big Band fame was clarinetist Artie Shaw. When Pearl Harbor was announced during a Shaw concert, he broke up what was considered to be the best of his eventual 8 bands to join the Navy.

Shaw convinced the Navy to let him recruit a top band to entertain the military. Navy brass designated it Navy Band 501 but it became better known as ‘Shaw’s Rangers.’

For the first few months they entertained across America. Then they shipped out to Hawaii before Island hoping on dangerous ship and airplane trips, anyone of which could have added them to souring US casualty lists from Japanese planes and subs. On Guadalcanal they lived in primitive conditions, having to dive into foxholes when Japanese planes bombed their base. Every musician, unfit for such conditions, suffered in body and mind.


None more so than Shaw. After one such attack he suffered a nervous breakdown, simply wandering away from base in an amnesiac state. When an MP asked him where he was headed, Shaw replied “I don’t know.” Diagnosed with combat fatigue tho not engaged in combat, Shaw was discharged from the Navy in late ’43 and sent stateside. His bandmates were ecstatic as Shaw, an insensitive, driven perfectionist, alienated his entire band. Tenor man Sam Donahue took over Shaw’s Rangers for the duration.

Shaw not only avoided the Glenn Miller’s wartime fate, he lived on for another 60 years, the last 50 of which were without music. Shaw couldn’t handle his musical fame, pending his last half century writing, becoming an expert gun marksman and general misanthrope. Besides his 8 bands, he married and broke up 8 marriages. He appropriately titled his autobiography ‘The Trouble with Cinderella.’

While Shaw's Rangers were unheralded during the war, Miller’s outfit got tons of glory entertaining Allied soldiers in relative luxury and safety while providing posterity with many recordings of their storied time in Europe. And Shaw’s Rangers? Just one hard to find recording of 2 songs performed from the Pacific for FDR’s 61st birthday celebration back home.