In poker game with Iran’s unified, determined, winning government, Trump is playing 52 Pick-Up

In poker game with Iran’s unified, determined, winning government, Trump is playing 52 Pick-Up 

Trump loves to bleat the US is winning his criminal war on Iran. The opposite is true. Iran is holding all the cards. The US, not Iran, implemented a ceasefire because Trump’s bombing campaign was a catastrophe. It didn’t collapse the Iranian regime within 48 hours. It didn’t cough up Iran’s enriched Uranium. It didn’t destroy Iran’s missile capacity. It didn’t force Iran to beg for negotiations.

It did however, so damage America’s 13 Gulf States bases they are largely uninhabitable. It caused the worst destruction in Israel’s 78 years. It caused the US to nearly run out of defensive missiles. It closed the Strait of Hormuz, initiating a global economic crisis that will take months to resolve if the war ended today on Iran war day 60.

Trump is so discombobulated he’s making up fairy tales about Iran’s begging for negotiations to end their impending loss. He announced his negotiating team of golfing buddy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, both representing Israel’s, not America's interests, were heading to Pakistan to seal America’s victory.

One huge problem. Iran won’t negotiate while Trump is continuing the war with his senseless blockade of Iranian ports…a war crime. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reminded Trump there will be no negotiations “as long as hostile actions and operational pressures by the US persist. Recent US actions, including intensified maritime restrictions against Iran, are major impediments to trust-building and diplomacy. While messages about negotiations are conveyed, the simultaneous escalation of naval blockade and operational pressure undermines the environment needed for mutual trust.”

Trump quickly pivoted, cancelling Witkoff’s and Kushner’s planned visit to Pakistani last weekend. "I said nope, you’re not making 18-hour flight to go there. We have all the cards. You’re not going to be making any more 18-hour flights to sit around talking about nothing.”

Trump has all the cards all right. It’s just that there on the Oval Office floor after President Pezeshkian tossed them at Trump and exclaimed “52 Pick-Up.”

Walt Zlotow Glen Ellyn Peace Coalition Glen Ellyn IL

State Dept. spills the beans…’Bibi made Trump do it’

  

State Dept. spills the beans…’Bibi made Trump do it’

Apparently, State Dept. legal advisor Reed Rubinstein didn’t get Trump’s memo to erase Israel’s major involvement in Trump’s failed war on Iran.

It’s bad enough the war is a complete failure, accomplishing none of Trump’s objectives while precipitating global economic decline. If stopped today, it would take months to fully restore the economic calamity engulfing the world. Further delay, currently conducted by Trump desperately seeking an off ramp, spells economic catastrophe.

As horrendous as Trump’s war is, it wasn’t even his idea. Trump was simply following orders from his real boss, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. On February 11, Netanyahu arrived at the White House with Mossad Director David Barnea. They encouraged if not demanded invasion. The Netanyahu-Barnea tag team argued Iran would collapse within a couple of days from a combination of assassinating Iran’s leader Ali Khamenei, massive bombing, Mossad-fomented civil unrest and ground incursions by Kurdish fighters. Not surprisingly, the opposite occurred. The Iranian people rallied around their government in as existential battel to the death. Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz choking off a fifth of world oil supply and inflicted massive damage on Israel and US Gulf States bases with thousands of missiles. The Netanyahu-Barnea presentation was a blizzard of lies Trump swallowed whole in spite of Intelligence assessments to the contrary.

Trump blundered into the biggest military disaster in America’s 250 years. But he refuses to tell the truth Netanyahu made him do it because he must maintain the fiction the war is necessary to protect the Homeland from an imaginary Iranian nuke fired from an imaginary Iranian ICBM. Gifting Netanyahu with a favor to obliterate his arch enemy Iran is not in the US rulebook for allowing 13 US servicepersons killed and over 400 injured in furtherance of a lost war.

Of course anyone following the war knows the sordid truth. Under pressure Trump blatantly lied: “Israel never talked me into the war with Iran. The results of Oct. 7th, added to my lifelong opinion that IRAN CAN NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I watch and read the FAKE NEWS Pundits and Polls in total disbelief. 90% of what they say are lies and made up stories, and the polls are rigged, much as the 2020 Presidential Election was rigged.”

But Rubenstein punctured that fiction with this public statement: “As the United States has explained in multiple letters to the UN Security Council, including most recently on March 10, the United States is engaged in this conflict at the request of and in the collective self-defense of its Israeli ally as well as in the exercise of the United States’ own inherent right of self-defense,”

Good grief. Trump launched a failed criminal war blowing up the world economy because he had to enable an ally rid itself of an imaginary threat. Trump forgot Diplomacy 101 which teaches Allies don’t let allies launch criminal wars, much less take the lead in that murder and mayhem.

Walt Zlotow West Suburban Peace Coalition Glen Ellyn IL

Trump to America…’No dough for the Commons. I need it for my criminal wars’

Trump to America…’No dough for the Commons. I need it for my criminal wars’

President Trump has a bizarre way of demonstrating his claim of being the Peace President deserving the Nobel Peace Prize.

He spent his first term raining down tens of thousands of bombs on 7 countries posing not a whit of danger to the Homeland. He assassinated a top Iranian general in Baghdad, a monstrous war crime. He withdrew from Obama’s Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) which silenced Iran’s nuclear bomb potential and should have ended the isolation of Iran. Instead, it set the table for Trump's senseless, now failed war on Iran 8 years later that may crash the world economy if not ended soon. That is madness.

Trump’s obsession with murder and mayhem worldwide has collateral damage to every sensible domestic function of government. Trump has spent 10 years trying to demolish Obama’s Affordable Care Act, a relatively meager improvement to America’s failed health insurance system to the less fortunate. He hasn’t spent dollar one to fix it. He’s ignored our crumbling infrastructure. He’s invested zilch in green energy while the world overheats relentlessly.

But Trump sure has invested in war. His last term one National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) budget in 2021 was a massive $740 billion. His first in term two for 2026 crashed the trillion mark by $42 billion. But mimicking Al Jolson in ‘The Jazz Singer’, Trump proclaimed ‘You ain’t seen nothing yet.’ His 2027 NDAA sours to $1,500,000,000, a 44% increase. Combined with massive tax cuts for the billionaire class, Trump’s profligate military spending has goosed the national debt by $10 rillion in his first 6 years.

While silent about spending on the Commons to improve life for all Americans, Trump is ecstatic about his trillion and a half bucks for endless wars. “We’re fighting wars. We can’t take care of day care. “It’s not possible for us to take care of day care, Medicaid, Medicare — all these individual things They can do it on a state basis. You can’t do it on a federal.”

To paraphrase first predecessor Obama, ‘Yes you can…yes you must.’

On April 7, 1967, exactly one year before he was gunned down, Rev. Martin Luther King courageously spoke out against the Vietnam War at New York's Riverside Church, ahead of a massive antiwar rally. In ‘A Time To Break the Silence’, King decried, "A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death."

Under Donald Trump’s endless, senseless wars…America’s spiritual death is here.

Walt Zlotow West Suburban Peace Coalition Glen Ellyn IL

Elect Sherm Lollar to Baseball Hall of Fame

 Elect Sherm Lollar to Baseball Hall of Fame

Been a White Sox fan since this 6 year old heard about their 14 game winning streak from May 15-30, 1951. This kicked off the Go-Go White Sox who went on to 17 straight first division finishes including the magical ’59 pennant winning team.

The 50’s teams were filled with exciting stars like Nellie Fox, Jungle Jim Rivera, Chico Carrasquel, Jim Busby, Luis Aparicio, Dick Donavon and Billy Pierce.

But the heart and soul of the 50’s Sox was catcher Sherm Lollar. Not flashy but rock solid handling pitchers and knocking lots of home runs in cavernous Comisky Park.

Lollar was among the best all time defensive catchers during his 18 seasons from 1946 to 1963. In 1,752 games he hit .262 with 155 dingers and 808 RBI. His .357 on base percentage topped that of Hall of Famer Yogi Berra. A seven time All Star, Lollar led AL catchers in fielding 4 times. In the full season of 1961, he made only 1 error. His .992 career catcher fielding percentage is best in MLB history. He throw out 46% of base stealers, ranking him fifth all time. Upon retirement in 1963 he ranked fifth in home runs by a catcher.

Never considered for the Hall during his early eligibility, Lollar is currently eligible to be identified as a Golden Era ballot candidate by the Baseball Writers Association of America’s Historical Overview Committee.

It took the Hall 51 years after he retired for the Hall to enshrine fabulous Go-Go White Sox Minnie Minoso into the Hall. Lollar, who died in 1977, retired 63 years ago.

Come on Major League Baseball. Punch Sherm Lollar’s ticket to the Hall of Fame.

Walt Zlotow Glen Ellyn

When is a ceasefire in a war not a ceasefire?

 When is a ceasefire in a war not a ceasefire?

In the case of Donald Trump's ceasefire in his Iran war, it is when he continues his naval blockade of Iranian ports. Iran has correctly called out Trump's blockade is an act of war. They have declared that will prevent them from returning to negotiations with the US which was the goal of declaring the ceasefire. In addition to his counterproductive blockade, Trump keeps threatening to annihilate Iran if they don't negotiate a deal based on his terms.

If Trump complies with the ceasefire by withdrawing the blockade, he faces the daunting task of negotiating with an Iran holding the trump card Trump can't ignore....Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz. As the world spirals into economic meltdown from the loss of 20 million daily barrels of oil, Trump is faced with Iran's sensible, non-negotiable demands: end the criminal US war forthwith, guarantee it will never again attack Iran, end all economic sanctions and pay reparations for Iranian damage caused by thousands of US bombs.

Trump now faces complete defeat if he does the right thing and ends the war on Iran's terms. If he restarts the war targeting Iranian infrastructure, Iran will retaliate by targeting all Israeli and Gulf States infrastructure, possibly even all Gulf States oil production.

Trump appears on the cusp of destroying his presidency as every one of his 77 million voters are paying more for gas and soon more for everything. But unless he pivots to peace, he may be on the cusp of destroying the world economy. Trump campaigned to be a Peace President putting America First by ending senseless wars. By attacking Venezuela, blowing up little civilian boats in the Caribbean, bombing Somalia over 60 times, and attacking Iran, Trump has put America; indeed, the whole world last.
    
Walt Zlotow West Suburban Peace Coalition  Glen Ellyn IL 

10 takeaways from Trump’s senseless Iran war

 10 takeaways from Trump’s senseless Iran war

1. First time a foreign power, Israel, goaded America into launching a criminal war

2. Trump’s capitulation to Israel’s war demands is destroying his presidency and will likely hand over Congress to Democrats in November

3. Air power alone has not and will not achieve victory over Iran


4. Ignoring Iran’s ability to close Strait of Hormuz gave strategic advantage to Iran to force stalemate, if not achieve outright Iranian victory

5. US has greatly degraded world economy and may spiral it into recession, possibly even depression if it doesn’t end war soon

6. All US Gulf States bases have been damaged or destroyed and may never be rebuilt due to loss of US security credibility to Gulf States

7. Israel has largely destroyed its support among young Americans disgusted with its endless manipulation of US to support both its Gaza Genocide under Biden and war to destroy Iran under Trump


8. If desperate Trump resumes bombing to destroy Iranian infrastructure, Iran will retaliate destroying Israeli and Gulf States infrastructure, possibly all Middle East oil production

9. A peaceful settlement on Iran’s sensible terms is the only path to Middle East peace

10. As long as the war continues, Israeli use of nuclear weapons remains a possibility

Will Netanyahu demolish second consecutive US administration in ’28?

Will Netanyahu demolish second consecutive US administration in ’28?

In the ’24 election Kamala Harris got a lot of votes, 75,017,613. But astonishingly, she got 6,268,841 less votes than when she ran with victorious Joe Biden in 2020, a massive 7.7% drop. Some of those missing voters selected third party. Some voted for Donald Trump. Many simply stayed home.

While there were several reasons, the one most cited was Biden and Harris’ complete support and enabling of Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had near total control over the Biden administration, causing revulsion in peace advocates and many sensible 2020 Biden voters horrified their presidential choice would engage in such an abomination.

Harris made a mistake not breaking with Biden on genocide. By a more than three-to-one margin, Biden 2020 voters who did not vote for Harris, say they would more likely have voted for Harris if she pledged to break from President Biden's policy toward Gaza by promising to withhold additional weapons to Israel.

There was precedent for Harris doing so. In 1968 Democratic nominee Vice President Hubert Humphrey was losing badly to Richard Nixon due to massive defections from anti-Vietnam War Democrats. Humphrey, like Harris was a good soldier VP supporting his boss’s self-destructive war policies. A month before the election, Humphrey pivoted to peace in a prime time address. It closed the double digit gap but was too little too late. Had he broken from LBJ from the get go…likely no Nixon and no 5 year prolonged bloodbath under Nixon.

A little over a year into Trump’s second term, Netanyahu is at it again, sabotaging a US administration from winning in ’28. At his February 11 meeting with Trump, Netanyahu implored Trump to launch his now failed war on Iran by guaranteeing him victory in a couple of days after Israel assassinated Iranian leader Ali Khamenei.

Not only has the war failed to achieve every stated goal, it has thrown the world into economic chaos. Now every one of Trump’s 77,302,580 voters are paying over $4 a gallon to fill their gas guzzlers and soon will be paying higher prices for just about everything.

And Just like Vice President Harris who self-destructed in ’24 by staying loyal to her genocide enabling president, JD Vance is self-destructing staying loyal to his senseless, war mongering president, all due to the interference in American foreign policy of Benjamin Netanyahu.

As loyal as he is, Vance knew the war was a terrible idea. He told Trump so but once Trump decided to follow Netanyahu down the rabbit hole of lost war, Vance followed right behind. Apparently, Vance has learned nothing from Harris’ fealty to Benjamin Netanyahu in '24.

Much can happen before the next election. But history tells that as Vice President of a lame duck President, Vance in a near certainty to be anointed Trump’s successor at the GOP Convention in 2 years.

Another near certainty? Unless Vance breaks with Trump and comes out strongly against the lost war in Iran upending the world economy, Benjamin Netanyahu will sabotage his second consecutive US administration in the ’28 election.

Walt Zlotow West Suburban Peace Coalition Glen Ellyn IL

Iran aside, don’t ignore Trump’s war crimes in the Caribbean, Venezuela and Somalia

Iran aside, don’t ignore Trump’s war crimes in the Caribbean, Venezuela and Somalia

As Trump was cooling his massive, murderous bombing of Iran, he was ramping up his murderous bombing of small civilian boats in the Caribbean. In the last 5 days he obliterated 5 little boats Trump imagined were operated by narco terrorists. Since these dastardly attacks began last October, Trump has wiped out 53 little boats, killing 178. Those are war crimes.

On January 3 Trump invaded Venezuela, kidnapped its president Nicholas Maduro, murdering 83 in the process. More war crimes.

Most heinous but most ignored by the media is Trump’s endles war crimes in Somalia. Last year His African Command bombed pitifully poor, remote Somalia 124 times, likely killing thousands of imagined bad guys. Just last week Trump bombed Somalia 4 times in 2 days, raising the 2026 total to 52 attacks. He’s on track for a record year of war crimes in Somalia.

Why aren’t the media and the American people focused on Trump’s war crimes in the Caribbean, Venezuela and Somalia? Could be simply that these Trump war crimes have not raised a gallon of gas north of 4 bucks and threaten a global recession that will also engulf the Homeland. To put it more bluntly, ‘Hey Mr. Trump, as long as your war crimes don’t affect me personally, have at it.’

Walt Zlotow West Suburban Peace Coalition Glen Ellyn IL

Congress A-OK with Trump murdering thousands in Iran and crashing the world economy

Congress A-OK with Trump murdering thousands in Iran and crashing the world economy

 

On Thursday the US House completed Congress’ capitulation to Trump’s deranged, failed war to destroy Iran on behalf of Israel.

The House voted 214 -213 to defeat a War Powers Resolution directing Trump to end his failed Iran war. All Democrats but 1 (Rep. Jared Golden) voted to end the war. All Republicans but 1 (Rep. Tom Massie) voted to keep up the murder and mayhem destroying Iran, Israel, Gulf States, and possibly sending the world economy into recession.

 

A day earlier the Senate put their ignominious approval on Trump’s madness, defeating their War Powers Resolution by a wider margin of 47-52. Again just 1 Republican (Sen. Rand Paul) voted to end the war and 1 Democrat (Sen. John Fetterman) voted to keep it killing and blowing up the world economy.

 

Republicans both support whatever Trump promotes and relish endless wars in furtherance of US world dominance no matter how murderous and criminal they are. One Republican representative and senator opposing Trump’s criminal wars out of 274 GOP congresspersons disgraces the Grand Old (War) Party.

 

Democrats are minimally better. Their War Powers vote was more connected to their opposing anything trump supports. They largely enable US military adventurism worldwide, unlimited military spending in support thereof, and acquiescing in Israeli genocide in Gaza and relentless bombing of civilians in Lebanon. They, like nearly the entire GOP, are bought and paid for by US weapons makers and the US Israel Lobby.

 

As criminally murderous are Trump and his war party of Hegseth, Vance and Rubio, they could not proceed without the support of Congress. By funding Trump’s endless wars, refusing to condemn them thru War Powers Resolutions and gobbling up pro war campaign cash, they ignore the majority of voters who want this madness ended.

 

At the rate Trump and his enabling Congress are breaking things, this may be the worst in America’s 250 years.

 

Walt Zlotow   West Suburban Peace Coalition Glen Ellyn IL 

Trump prefers collapsing world economy to admitting defeat in his criminal Iran war

Trump prefers collapsing world economy to admitting defeat in his criminal Iran war

That was some phony 2 week ceasefire President Trump agreed to with Iran. When Iran refused Trump’s impossible demands presented by amateur US diplomats Vance, Witkoff and Kushner, Trump essentially resumed the war with his imaginary blockade of all Iranian shipping delivering the world’s oil.

Trump still hasn’t ruled out resuming his murderous but ineffective bombing campaign or launching a possible ground invasion to extract Iran’s enriched uranium or snatch its oil infrastructure on Kharg Island. He’s sending 10,000 more ground troops to bolster the 50,000 waiting around to either to nothing, or face major destruction if dropped into Iran.

To show the extent of US war failure, 6,000 troops aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H. W. Bush and accompanying warships had to skip the short route through the Mediterranean to go around the much longer southern Africa route, due to the Houthis’ threat to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. As a result Trump won’t have his 60,000 troop force in place till early May.

Trump must know he has no path to anything remotely resembling victory. No regime change. No end to nuclear enrichment. No end to Iran’s missile stockpile. Most importantly, no reopening to the Strait of Hormuz and renewed flow of Middle East oil.

He’s also likely still controlled by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who convinced Trump to launch the war on February 28 and has been sabotaging the ceasefire with his ghastly bombing of Lebanon. While Trump desperately wants out of the lost war, Netanyahu demands it continue till Iran is destroyed as an Israeli rival. Why Trump remains under Netanyahu’s control is both horrifying and may forever remain a mystery.

Trump is now a shell of the former war president who gloried in bombing 7 nations and snatching Venezuelan President Maduro to capture his oil. He’s trapped with no way out except admitting defeat by ending the war on Iran’s sensible terms.

But Trump’s lifelong delusion of his invincibility in anything he does prevents him from facing the reality of the unfolding world catastrophe he initiated.

At present, Trump resuming murderous war and precipitating worldwide economic collapse appear more likely than seeking peace, albeit certifying US defeat. Unless Congress acts to defund Trump’s $200 billion request to continue this catastrophe, or the Cabinet, led by Veep Vance, removes Trump via the 25th Amendment, things will only get dramatically, possibly infinitely worse.

Walt Zlotow  West Suburban Peace Coalition  Glen Ellyn IL 

Hitchcock would have loved Trump’s MacGuffin to launch Iran war if it were a movie, not a real life catastrophe

Hitchcock would have loved Trump’s MacGuffin to launch Iran war if it were a movie, not a real life catastrophe

Movie buffs, especially fans of suspense director Alfred Hitchcock, know what a MacGuffin is: a plot device in the form of a simply made up desired object, or other motivator that the protagonist pursues in furtherance of making a thrilling, suspenseful movie. For Hitchcock it was the plans for the airplane engine (39 Steps) or the uranium ore stored in vintage wine bottles (Notorious). Everyone knows the most famous MacGuffin in filmdom, the black bird that drove the narrative in John Huston's Maltese Falcon.

But neither Huston nor Hitchcock could have come up with a more bizarre MacGuffin for America's senseless real life war blowing up the Middle East and possibly the world economy than Trump’s MacGuffin, an imminent Iranian nuke.

Since Iran posed no threat whatsoever to the Homeland over 6,000 miles away, Trump simply made up the fiction that Iran was a couple weeks away from building a bomb, and more ominously, could detonate it over America as well.

No matter that Iran has never built a bomb, pleaded never to build a bomb, and was in full compliance with Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal which guaranteed they’d never build one. No matter that Trump sabotaged Obama’s nuclear agreement to prepare for the day he could attack Iran to prevent its building and detonating a bomb that his entire intelligence community determined was preposterous.

Hitchcock’s Macguffins worked perfectly to create some of the most suspenseful, thrilling and scary movies in filmdom. But Trump’s MacGuffin backfired spectacularly, killing thousands in Iran and neighboring countries, choking off 20% of the world’s oil supply, damaging all 13 US Gulf States bases and turning Trump into the biggest loser in US military history. And to hammer a nail into Trump’s defeat he has no way out of the impending global catastrophe he started with his cockamamie MacGuffin.

And up in Celluloid Heaven, Hitchcock might be muttering: "Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I've created 57 MacGuffins for my 57 films, but none compares to Trump’s Mother of All MacGuffins....Iran’s imaginary nuke.”

Walt Zlotow West Suburban Peace Coalition

Media finally acknowledging Israel’s central role in Trump’s criminal war on Iran

Media finally acknowledging Israel’s central role in Trump’s criminal war on Iran

For the first 5 weeks of President Trump’s criminal war on Iran, mainstream media pretended this was totally a US war to defend the Homeland by destroying Iran’s nuclear bomb capability and neutering its missile arsenal. Israel was barely mentioned tho they started the war by assassinating Iranian leader Ali Khamenei. Israel’s relentless bombing of Iran was largely ignored to focus on the devastating US bombing. Also ignored was Iran’s robust retaliation causing the greatest damage to Israel in its 78 year history.

The reality is that on February 28th Israel realized its three decade dream of getting a US President to serve as Israel’s proxy to destroy Iran as Israel’s last hegemonic rival in the Middle East. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spent the entire 21st century lobbying George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump in term one and Joe Biden to take out Iran. Netanyahu finally hit pay dirt with Donald Trump in term two. On February 11 Netanyahu met with Trump, assuring him that once Israel assassinated Iranian leader Ali Khamenei, the regime would collapse within a few days with Iran’s populous rallying around their US liberators.

Gigantic mistake. The Iranian populous coalesced around the regime which retaliated with devastating effectiveness, not only inflicting massive damage on US, Israeli resources but shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, inflicting worldwide economic decline.

Knowing he’s lost, Trump is seeking an off ramp to save his presidency. Netanyahu, the lead actor in this lost war, will have none of it. He’s sabotaging the ceasefire Trump agreed to which would have allowed Iran to survive, retain control of the Strait and keep its nuclear enrichment and its defensive missile arsenal. Netanyahu’s massive bombing of Lebanon, forbidden by Iran’s 10 Point peace plan, makes the ceasefire hanging by a thread.

Mainstream media has taken note, beginning to allow analysts to publicly state this was largely Netanyahu’s war, not Trump’s. MSNOW’s Jen Psaki gave former Secretary of State John Kerry, who negotiated the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, extensive time to review Netanyahu’s endless demands that US presidents destroy Iran on their behalf. Kerry noted how Netanyahu hyped the imminent Iranian nuclear threat to each president which was swallowed whole only by President Trump. A neuclear agreement meant nothing to Netanyahu. Regime change in failed state Iran was the sole goal.

The more mainstream media tells the truth about Israel’s central role in Trump’s lost war upending the world economy, the more Trump will be pressured to break with Israel. Whatever Netanyahu has on Trump, whether the hundreds of millions in campaign cash or scandalous Epstein secrets, must be disregarded if Trump has any chance of salvaging his presidency, and more importantly, the world economy.

Keep it up mainstream news. Expose the dirty secret of Trump’s dirty war launched on orders of Benjamin Netanyahu. If Trump does cut off the weapons train, Israel’s rampage against Iran Syria, Lebanon, Gaza and others may be over. Time to force Israel to make peace with their neighbors, not endless war.

Mainstream news can assist that noble goal.

Walt Zlotow West Suburban Peace Coalition Glen Ellyn IL

The Iranian people achieved decisive victory against America’s criminal war on them

The Iranian people achieved decisive victory against America’s criminal war on them

The Chicago Tribune’s editorial ‘There has been no victory yet for the Iranian people’ represents an astonishing betrayal of the urgent need to condemn President’s criminal war on Iran. The Trib’s focus is not on the 42,000 Iranian buildings damaged or destroyed, of which 36,000 were residential homes. The No mention of the school bombed killing over 150 little girls, among over 3,000 dead Iranians Trump murdered in his senseless war. Absent was any mention the US began the war with a heinous war crime, greenlighting Israel’s assassinating Iranian ruler Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Stating the Trib was “relieved” Trump didn’t kill off Iranian civilization as threatened, a genocidal war crime, without the most urgent of condemnations is deplorable.

The Trib states both the US and Iran declaring victory is “hardly surprising.” That certainly applies to Trump’s America which can never admit defeat, but not Iran. They punched back with astonishing effectiveness. Their tens of thousands of well-hidden missiles shot down US planes, sent aircraft carriers scurrying beyond their range, badly damaged US Gulf States bases requiring thousands of US personnel to be relocated to hotels.

Result? Trump cried uncle and entered into a tenuous ceasefire without achieving a single of the shifting war objectives.

Worse yet? The US war failure shut down the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off a fifth of the worldwide oil supply. This has sent the world economy teetering toward recession, if not depression.

Trump’s acceptance of Iran’ s 10 point ceasefire plan as a basis for upcoming negotiations verifies Trump’s catastrophic loss. It requires end to US criminal war with no further attacks on Iran, Iranian nuclear enrichment facilities and defensive missile arsenal. US to leave the Middle East. US to end all sanctions on Iran. US to pay reparations for war damage.

Most disappointing in the Trib’s Iran war editorial is regurgitating Trump’s “three justifiable reasons....for this war” All three are nonsense. Did it occur to the Trib Editorial Board that if those reasons were truly justifiable, the Trib should be encouraging Trump to press on to total victory?

The editorial concludes “that inevitably leads us to an accounting that little has been achieved. A hollow victory at a heavy price.” Indeed, nothing was achieved but senseless death and destruction, the US possibly on the way out of the region, and the world economy in jeopardy from the US handing over the Strait of Hormuz to an emboldened and soon to be prosperous Iran.

Sure sounds like a resounding Iranian victory and US loss to this observer.

Walt Zlotow West Suburban Peace Coalition Glen Ellyn IL

Trump’s vaunted 14 day ceasefire barely lasted 14 hours

 Trump’s vaunted 14 day ceasefire barely lasted 14 hours

Israel, not happy that Trump abandoned their lust to destroy Iran as a hegemonic rival, blew up the two week ceasefire Pakistan negotiated Tuesday.

How? By launching a massive bombing campaign on Beirut Lebanon killing over 200 and injuring over 500. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “The two-week ceasefire does not include Lebanon,” Trump called it “a separate skirmish. Yeah, they were not included in the deal, because of Hezbollah. Veep Vance called Iran’s claim the ceasefire included Israeli attacks on Lebanon "a misunderstanding."

Netanyahu, Trump and Vance all lied as Pakistan’s Prime Minister , Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, who mediated the ceasefire deal, said it includes Lebanon. Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, didn’t mince words in blasting US, Israeli perfidy upending the ceasefire “The deep historical distrust we hold toward the United States stems from its repeated violations of all forms of commitments — a pattern that has regrettably been repeated once again,” He noted that President Trump announced the ceasefire by stating Iran’s 10 point proposal “was a good basis for negotiations.” Next day Trump had his press spokesperson Caroline Leveatt proclaim that Trump had the proposal “throne in the garbage.”

As a result Israel’s grisly bombardment on Beirut with Trump’s support and death weapons made a mockery of the ceasefire on Day One. Iran has announced the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed till the ceasefire is truly implemented. The world economy will continue to head downward. Thousands will suffer and die. Vance and the two amateur diplomates Jarad Kushner and Steve Witkoff he’s supervising, may fine empty Iranian chairs at the planed ceasefire negotiations in Pakistan tomorrow.

And the Big Fool in the White House, like the crazed captain demanding his troops continue crossing the impassable Big Muddy, will bellow ‘Push on.’

Trump pivots from "destroying Iranian civilization" to complete surrender in one day

 Trump pivots from "destroying Iranian civilization" to complete surrender in one day

 

Even a mentally degraded Donald Trump had to face reality. The US lost the war intended to destroy Iran as a hegemonic rival to Israel in the region.

 

He cancelled his announced war crimes to “destroy Iranian civilization” and agreed to a two week ceasefire as a prelude for negotiating permanent peace based on Iran’s 10 point peace plan. Note that is not Trump’s 15 point peace plan which would have given Trump complete victory.

 

Here’s some of what Trump’s ceasefire acknowledges.

 

A guarantee that Iran will not be attacked again.

 

A permanent end to the war, not just a ceasefire.

 

An end to Israeli strikes in Lebanon and against Iranian allies.

 

The lifting of all US sanctions on Iran.

 

Iran agreeing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz

 

US to leave the Middle East

 

End to US sanctions on Iran and release of frozen Iranian assets

 

In his delusional state, Trump announced the cease fire due to his astonishing claim his “war has already met and all Military objectives, and we are very far along with a definitive Agreement concerning long term PEACE with Iran, and PEACE in the Middle East.”

 

Iran announced the ceasefire “does not signify the termination of the war. Our hands remain upon the trigger, and should the slightest error be committed by the enemy, it shall be met with full force,”

 

Major hurtles must be overcome before the ceasefire holds and genuine peace can be negotiated. Israel is horrified by this development upending their 4 decade lust to destroy its Iranian hegemonic rival. It’s reported they are still bombing Iran and Iran is retaliating. No keen observer is optimistic the ceasefire will hold.

 

But it is not likely the US, clearly defeated in every make up war aim they floated to justify criminal war that killed thousands, damaged every US base in the region, brought the worst damage to Israel in its 78 years, and is crushing the world economy, can ever restart this deranged madness.

 

But with Trump in charge…you can never say never.

Walt Zlotow  West Suburban Peace Coalition  Glen Ellyn IL