Good grief…Jesus freaks taking over military indoctrination

 Good grief…Jesus freaks taking over military indoctrination

As a non-theist I both respect freedom of religion and demand separation of church and state.

Most violations of the latter concern relatively minor infractions such as school prayer or posting the 10 Commandments in the public square.

Never in my life could I imagine our government promoting America’s grotesque, criminal war on Iran by telling military personnel in all the services that this war is God’s plan to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth,”

This was not one-off insanity by a rogue military leader. The
Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) reports over 100 complaints from 30 military installations about their commanders’ instructions. One NCO complained their commander “urged us to tell our troop this was all part of God’s divine plan and supported it with numerous citations from the Book of Revelation referring to Armageddon and the imminent return of Jesus Christ.”

While Christian nationalism has simmered on the back burner of the military for decades, under fanatical Christian Nationalist and War Secretary Pete Hegseth, it’s now official US military policy. Hegseth is egged on by irreligious President Trump, who cynically uses Christian nationalism to justify his warfare in the Middle East on behalf of Israel.

You do not have to be a non-theist to oppose this religious madness Trump and Hegseth infect our military with to promote endless war in the name of God. You just have to be a decent, morally centered person.

Walt Zlotow  West Suburban Peace Coalition  Glen Ellyn IL

Trump’s 3 day ‘quickie’ war turning into a 3 year catastrophe

Trump’s 3 day ‘quickie’ war turning into a 3 year catastrophe

President Trump bet his entire criminal attack on Iran as a quick 3 day operation which would force Iran’s capitulation. Kill its leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the 90 million Iranians would rise up against their government and make peace with new master America

It has backfired spectacularly. The vast majority of Iranians have rallied around the Islamic government. When Trump demanded Iran surrender, the remaining government publicly told Trump ‘Go to hell.’ Instead they have launched thousands of missiles and drone explosives on US instillations thruout the region. American deaths and injuries are occurring. They are successfully bombing America’s criminal war partner Israel, the real mastermind of this self-destructive war. Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz which will quickly destabilize the world economy over oil pricing. Iran’s attacks on US resources in the Gulf States will possibly destabilize the entire region.

Trump, realizing he’s both failed and trapped, is becoming increasingly more detached from reality. The US is already running low munitions to fight a long war, but Trump claims we have enough to fight multiple wars “forever”. But he quickly contradicted himself by claiming any shortages are due to negligence of his predecessor he only refers to as “Sleepy Joe”. This from a debilitated president falling asleep at public events. He’s cut off all trade with Spain because they refuse to help Trump wage his criminal war. Trump hints at boots on the ground in Iran, setting congressional critics’ hair on fire.

Why doesn’t Iran fold against the largest military in the world and its criminal war partner Israel? Simple. After trying to negotiate peace with these two brutal, vicious countries for decades, Iran realizes both represent an existential threat to their existence. Facing obliteration, Iran has decided to go down fighting, taking America and Israel with them.

Knowing it was coming, Iran has been preparing years for all out war. It’s has tens of thousands of missiles and drones scattered and well-hidden to prevent US, Israeli destruction. The US, Israeli hunters are now becoming the hunted. US embassies in the region, some already under attack, are telling their staffers they cannot help evacuate them.

Trump has nearly 3 years left in office. His failed 3 day quickie war to destroy Iran as an Israeli hegemonic rival may turn his last 3 years into an unrelenting personal catastrophe. Alas, it may also be a catastrophe for Israel, America, the Middle East, possibly the entire world.

Walt Zlotow West Suburban Peace Coalition Glen Ellyn IL

Marco spills the beans…’Bibi made us do it’

 Marco spills the beans…’Bibi made us do it’

In 4 days of immoral, criminal war on Iran, the Trump administration changes the rationale every day, indeed almost every hour.

The most preposterous comes from supreme American warmonger Marco Rubio who masquerades as Secretary of State while every fiber of his damaged soul plots endless war.

“It was abundantly clear that if Iran came under attack by anyone, the United States, Israel, or anyone, they were going to respond and respond against the United States. If we stood and waited for that attack to come first, before we hit them, we would have suffered much higher casualties. And so the president made the very wise decision. We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action, we knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces,”

Rubio could not have been more disingenuous. He’s pretending we’re a neutral observer that will be involved if Israel attacks and must attack first to avoid US casualties. . He knows full well the US and Israel have been plotting together to destroy Iran for decades. He's spent the last year as Secretary of State involved in that war plotting. The US wants to extend its dominance over the entire Middle East while Israel wants to eliminate its only hegemonic rival in the region. Together the US, Israeli tag team  seeks to accomplish both imperialistic goals.

 

The combined attack February 28 was a replay on steroids of the smaller combined preemptive attack last June. Since it didn’t accomplish regime change and Iran’s destruction, Netanyahu and Trump decided to launch an all out war to the death. This time Americans are dying along with Israelis, and the shutdown of oil production and transit may send America spiraling into a major recession.

Since few Americans are buying into this madness, rejecting one Trump justification after another, Rubio came to the rescue. ‘I’ve got it’ he proclaimed. ‘We’ll tell the public that we had to attack because it was the only way to save American lives after Israel attacks Iran. We're simply playing defense.'  

Rubio’s logic would be hilarious if not for the fact that it guarantees US body bags coming home as a result of Rubio’s self-licking ice cream cone.

Walt Zlotow  West Suburban Peace Coalition  Glen Ellyn IL

Chicago Tribune needs to confront the ghastly criminality of Trump’s second criminal war this year

Chicago Tribune needs to confront the ghastly criminality of Trump’s second criminal war this year

 

The Trib’s long editorial on Trump’s unprovoked, immoral, criminal war on Iran gives tacit approval to it without a hint of its murderous criminality. “Trump and his Israeli partners knew what they did not like in Iran and we don’t disagree.” That sure sounds like an endorsement of criminal war that should have Trump and his partner, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in the dock at The Hague for war crimes.

 

Trump’s attack had nothing to do with defense of America’s national security interests. Alleging Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei led a repressive, theocratic, medieval regime is not a justification for launching preemptive war.

 The Trib accuses Iran of sponsoring terrorism when, unlike Trump, Ali Khamenei didn’t bomb 7 countries in 2025 killing untold thousands. If the Trib is concerned about sponsors of terrorism, a good starting point is Donald J. Trump. 

 The Trib notes that Ali Khamenei “threatened the security of Israel,” but fails to note that Israel killed over a thousand Iranians in their 12 day preemptive war last June. Ali Khamenei and Iran were never a threat to Israel’s security. They represented a potential rival to Israel for Middle East dominance that had to be eliminated with American firepower and now American blood. Being a hegemonic rival is not grounds for preemptive war.  

 

Trump’s ongoing, murderous war aside, the Trib focused instead on Ali Khamenei’s “plans for a nuclear weapon.” Why does the Trib ignore that Ali Khamenei not only forbid nukes, he signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2015 which guaranteed Iran would never get one. Guess who blew up that signature Obama achievement? Donald Trump in 2018. Reason? The JCPOA prevented regime change demanded by Israel to be implemented by the United States.

 It took 8 years but that regime change is underway in a grotesque criminal war that will kill many thousands, possibly destabilize the Middle East and likely drive up energy prices in America to recessionary levels. 

Now with 3 Americans dead and 5 seriously wounded due to Trump’s criminality, the Chicago Tribune might consider a follow up editorial titled ‘We will not miss the President of the United States. His only plan was endless, senseless war.’

Walt Zlotow  West Suburban Peace Coalition  Glen Ellyn IL 

Obama Center defiles Jackson Park, Hyde Park, Chicago

Obama Center defiles Jackson Park, Hyde Park, Chicago

 

Lived in Hyde Park for 10 years and marveled at its architecture, both old and new. Uplifted by the famed UChicago campus every day I traversed it 4 years as an undergrad. The surrounding Hyde Park neighborhood was filled with architectural gems.

 

While visiting my Hyde Park sister Saturday, we took a quick mile hop to see the Barack Obama Presidential Center. As we approached by car I exclaimed “Is that ugly slab arising out of Jackson Park the BOPC?”

 

It sure was. We exited the car for a closer look. With each step it became uglier than first viewing. The inscription halfway up intended to inspire was so scrunched together as to be near unreadable.

It was the most hideous public building I’ve observed in my 81 years. As one always offended by ugly buildings that will last beyond our lifetimes, I’m thankful I will never see it again. It takes top prize in buildings I wish were never built, surpassing previous contenders for ugliest, the Thompson Center in the Loop and the renovated Soldier Field on the lakefront.

 

I have no quarrel building a presidential library. I’ve visited those of Honest Abe, James Garfield (located in his home), FDR, Truman, Ike, JFK and Gerald Ford. All were decent to inspiring (Fords') architecturally and were befitting of the president they honored. The Barack Obama Presidential Center is not.

 

I do hope the completed BOPC will benefit the community and serve historical presidential and American scholarship.

 

But a word of caution to Joe Biden, Donald Trump and the architects they select to design their presidential libraries. Don’t do ugly.

 

Walt Zlotow   Glen Ellyn IL